‘Robbed’ – McLaren hit with Ferrari 2002 warning after Monza team orders

McLaren risks annoying Formula 1 fans by “orchestrating” race results much like Ferrari did during the Michael Schumacher era.

And that, says former F1 driver Robert Doornbos, is not good for the team but it is also bad publicity for Formula 1.

McLaren warned: It was a mess, it was just bad publicity for F1

McLaren created uproar at the Italian Grand Prix when the team, in the name of “principles” and “racing values”, ordered Oscar Piastri to give second place back to Lando Norris.

Piastri had been running behind his teammate on the track when he was pitted first, McLaren assuring Norris there would be “no undercut”.

However, a slow pit stop for the British racer due to an issue with a wheel nut meant Piastri was ahead after the pit stops. Norris was stationary for 5.9s, which was four seconds longer than the Australian, giving Piastri the advantage on the track.

McLaren told him to give it back, which Piastri did at the second time of asking.

Norris went on to finish in second place behind race winner Max Verstappen, with Piastri two seconds behind his teammate in a result that meant the latter’s advantage in the Drivers’ standings was reduced to 31 points.

Key talking points after McLaren’s Monza team orders

👉 It’s time for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to be selfish

👉 McLaren threw ‘papaya rules’ to the wind in Italian Grand Prix team orders call

McLaren faced a backlash with David Coulthard declaring the Woking team had “manipulated the result” while Bernie Ecclestone told Blick: “You slowly get the feeling that McLaren prefers a World Champion named Lando Norris.”

It made PlanetF1.com’s list of the ‘Five of the most infamous team orders calls in F1 history‘.

Number two on the list was Ferrari’s 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where the team told Rubens Barrichello to give the win to Michael Schumacher despite the German already holding a dominant lead in the standings.

The Brazilian backed off on the line for Schumacher to take the win, but amidst the fierce backlash, the World Champion not only handed Barrichello the winner’s trophy but also the top step on the podium.

That only added to the farce with the FIA reacting strongly as Ferrari were fined and team orders were banned for a decade.

Doornbos, who contested 11 grands prix for Minardi and Red Bull, has warned McLaren that its antics in Monza could lead to a similar backlash.

“It feels, as a fan, that you’re robbed,” he said on The Pit Talk Podcast.

“The worst situations we’ve ever seen was obviously Ferrari and in the Michael Schumacher era with Rubens Barrichello, driving his a** off in Austria.

“Almost winning for Ferrari before Jean Todt then came on the radio and said: ‘Give the position to Michael’. But Michael was already leading the world championship with, I don’t know how many points, so it made no sense.

“That was sad, because then the fans started booing because, what were they watching? [It was] like a theatre.

“Just before the finish line, Michael gets the position and wins it, and then on the podium, he gives the first-place position again to Rubens.

“It was a mess, it was just bad publicity for F1.

“Luckily we haven’t had that in recent years, but now McLaren is going in that way, because they’re trying to orchestrate it.

“What happens, in the next race, if there’s a slow stop for Oscar, but he’s two positions behind Lando in the race? Is Lando going to wait for him then to give the position back?”

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