Max Verstappen LAUGHS at McLaren after Monza incident

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen literally laughed when being told about McLaren's strategy struggles at the Italian Grand Prix.

With the hope of covering off a late charge from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, McLaren opted to pit championship leader Oscar Piastri first, despite Lando Norris being ahead of the Australian.

When Norris then inevitably experienced a slow pit stop, Piastri was able to undercut Norris, leaving the championship leader in second and his furious team-mate in third.

McLaren then asked Piastri to swap positions with Norris in order to reinstate the order between them before the pit stops, which Piastri did without too many complaints on team radio.

It almost exactly mirrored a situation between the pair at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, when it was Norris who was asked to make way for Piastri, which he did, and hints at a respect between the McLaren drivers but also incompetence from the team to keep putting their stars in awkward positions.

When Gianpiero Lambiase told race winner Verstappen on team radio about the situation between the two McLaren drivers, the Dutchman laughed at the team, saying: "Haha, just because he had a slow stop?!"

Lambiase then replied: "It’s not our business, but I guess it keeps it fair between the drivers in terms of the championship."

Verstappen has previously criticised McLaren's team orders situation, describing it a 'nonsense'.

Piastri and Norris too nice?

It means that there are now 32 points between Piastri and Norris heading into the final eight races of the season, with the Australian ahead of the Brit.

Norris' decision to hand Piastri the victory at the 2024 Hungarian GP did not help him in his championship battle in that season against Verstappen.

But this time, it has worked in his favour. Either way, there is a general perception that it is something that Verstappen would not do for his team-mate in the same situation.

Verstappen's laughter at being informed of the driver swap suggests that is very much the case, and that might just be what makes him a four-time world champion.

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