Lando Norris has conceded that his intense Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was "fair", despite the reigning world champion briefly putting two wheels on the grass during their late-race fight at Monza.
Key Highlights
- Lando Norris accepted that Oscar Piastri's defensive move was "fair" despite Norris being forced onto the grass.
- The McLaren team-mates traded positions in a dramatic late-race battle at Monza.
- Norris eventually made the decisive move into Variante Ascari to take fourth place.
- Piastri attempted to fight back on the final lap but settled for fifth after a big slide out of the final Parabolica corner.
Norris and Piastri Go Wheel-to-Wheel at Monza
Piastri and Norris converged towards the end of the 53-lap race, with Piastri unable to keep Max Verstappen behind for fourth while Norris worked his way past Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton for fifth and set his sights on his team-mate.
Norris first passed the Australian on lap 48, kicking off a prolonged nip-and-tuck battle that became a defining part of the battery-driven overtaking spectacle around Monza's Temple of Speed.
Piastri reclaimed fourth on the following lap, before Norris made another attempt with three laps remaining into Monza's second chicane. Piastri covered the inside, but Norris was undeterred and moved into the narrowing gap on the left.
With his available space disappearing, the reigning world champion dipped two wheels onto the grass and suggested that Piastri had "pushed me off".
Norris Quickly Changes His Tune After the Race
With the benefit of hindsight and a lower heart rate, Norris quickly conceded after the race that Piastri had done nothing wrong.
"No, it was okay," Norris explained. "I still need to review things, but I think it's just the perception of when you're in the car, when someone's kind of opening the gap a bit and then kind of goes straight. You get that perception when you're going at 200 miles an hour, so that's all.
"But I think what he did was fair, so it's just when you're in the moment and you're half on the grass, you realise how quickly things can end pretty badly, so just in the heat of the moment. But no, from that side it was fine and it was a good battle and a good result from a tough race."
McLaren Orders “Clean Racing” Between Team-mates
The McLaren intra-team battle continued into the final lap, with both drivers receiving instructions from the pit lane to ensure "clean racing".
Norris appeared to bide his time for the perfect opportunity, making sure he would not immediately be repassed. He also benefited from running behind his team-mate, which allowed him to maintain higher battery levels before finally making the move stick into Variante Ascari.
Using the slipstream, Piastri attempted to retaliate on the run to the chequered flag. However, he was forced to correct a big slide out of the final Parabolica corner, ultimately settling for fifth as the two papaya-coloured McLarens crossed the finish line in formation.
Piastri Reflects on a Thrilling McLaren Battle
Piastri also viewed the fight positively, acknowledging the back-and-forth nature of the final laps and the strategic role energy management played in the outcome.
"It was a good battle," Piastri reckoned. "It was a lot of back and forth and the last lap, you never really know what to do with the energy. I think we went for different strategies with that and he got past, and I thought I'd have a chance to get back past again but ultimately I just didn't quite get there."
