Norris Unhappy With Piastri's Overtake: 'We Both Easily Could Have Been Out'

Monday, 02 September 2024 at 12:19

Lando Norris wasn't too happy about the way he got overtaken by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

Going into the Sunday race of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix weekend, McLaren drivers were in prime position to score one-two and close the gap by a huge margin in both the Constructors' and Drivers' championships.

Starting from P1 and finishing in P3, Lando Norris was obviously unhappy with his result after the race because instead of closing the gap to Max Verstappen by 18 points, he closed it only by 8.

The 24-year-old probably lost out the most in corner number 4 on the opening lap, where he was overtaken by his teammate Oscar Piastri from the outside.

He desperately wanted to avoid any sort of contact to not compromise his race, and as he was trying to leave enough space for the Australian on the outside he lost his rear and came close to spinning for a tiny moment.

Though he managed to get his car pointed straight and continue, he lost too much time and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc right after the corner.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri side by side into Turn 4 on the opening lap of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, with Norris on the inside line.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri going side by side into turn number 4 on the opening lap of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix

Asked if he was surprised by this quite aggressive and very brave move from Piastri on the opening lap of the race, the 24-year-old said:

"A little bit. Obviously, I would have just braked a bit later if I needed to. We had a big gap behind and, between us two cars, there's no risk."

"I feel like he got way too close for comfort – we both easily could have been out in that corner if I braked one metre later."

"Obviously, if I could rewind, I would do stuff slightly differently, but it is what it is. Oscar drove a good race, and so did Charles."

Norris made one more mistake later in the race in the same corner. He couldn't stop his car and had to go through the runoff area, which also cost him some time.

On the other hand, avoiding this mistake wouldn't still be enough to catch up with and overtake his teammate. After the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, Lando Norris's loss in the Championship to Verstappen was 62 points.

With Max Verstappen already saying winning any of the championships is unrealistic for Red Bull, it remains to be seen how this season plays out in the last eight Grand Prix weekends.