McLaren F1 star Lando Norris ignores team orders in DRAMATIC finish at Qatar Grand Prix

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Hungary, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Qatar Grand Prix Sprint

McLaren F1 star ignores team orders in DRAMATIC finish at Qatar Grand Prix

Lando Norris has revealed that he ignored his team's wishes in Qatar

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 30 November 2024 16:57

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F1 star Lando Norris has revealed that he defied McLaren team orders during the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race.

Having led the race from the start, Norris decided to gift the victory to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri on the line, risking allowing Mercedes' George Russell past too, with the Brit lurking behind.

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While the switching of positions on the last lap didn't mean too much in terms of the drivers' championship due to Max Verstappen having already wrapped up the 2024 title, it did allow Norris to repay a favour that Piastri gave him earlier in the season.

At the Brazilian GP when dominating the field during the sprint race, Piastri allowed Norris to win the race in order to help his championship battle against Verstappen.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have both helped each other throughout 2024

McLaren and Ferrari are embroiled in a constructors' championship battle

Norris ignores team orders

Norris has now suggested that he had been planning on doing something nice for Piastri in return since his Brazilian GP present to his team-mate.

The one-two for McLaren in the Qatar sprint race further extended their lead in the constructors' championship, as they hunt for their first teams' title since 1998.

Ferrari could only finish fourth and fifth during the sprint race, with McLaren's superior speed and sublime team work on show throughout the race.

However, Norris has now admitted that his team had told him not to let Piastri past, with the threat from third-placed Russell clear to see.

"We scored a one-two and that's what we were aiming for today, we've got maximum points so we're happy as a team, we've executed things perfectly," Norris said in his post-sprint interview.

"It was probably a bit closer than what I was wanting, but I planned to do it since Brazil, so what I thought was best was probably a little bit sketchy, the team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it, and we did.

"Honestly I don't mind, I'm not here to win sprint races, I'm here to win races and a championship but that's not gone to plan you know."