McLaren Crew Principal Andrea Stella has given his tackle Oscar Piastri’s response to Lando Norris gaining an sudden tow from him throughout Qualifying on the Spanish Grand Prix, with the Australian heard calling the incident “cheeky” over the staff radio.
After setting the tempo within the Q1 and Q2 segments of the session, Piastri initially appeared to have secured provisional pole in the course of the opening runs of Q3 – earlier than Norris went even sooner, having taken a tow from his staff mate within the ultimate nook.
When warned over the radio that Norris would go him after crossing the road, Piastri dryly responded: “Cheeky”. Piastri went on to beat his staff mate within the second runs, securing his fourth pole place of the season.
Nevertheless, when requested later within the weekend – after a race wherein Piastri led house Norris in a 1-2 end result – about how a lot that Qualifying second had acted as a reminder of the intra-team challenges McLaren might face throughout the remainder of the season, Stella performed down its significance and advised that the onus was extra on the squad’s communication.
