Lando Norris oblivious to glaring McLaren issue at Italian GP

Lando Norris didn't manage to finish at the front of the grid in this year's Italian Grand Prix, but then luckily for him, neither did his team-mate Oscar Piastri.

No, apparently we all woke up in 2023 on Sunday because it was Max Verstappen who stood on the top step of the iconic Monza podium after crossing the line almost 20 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger.

An embarrassing fumble for McLaren in the pits in the final stages of the race meant Piastri was able to undercut title rival Norris, prompting the papaya F1 outfit to once again issue team orders.

Piastri's race engineer Tom Stallard could be heard saying: "Oscar, this is a bit like Hungary last year, we pitted in this order for team reasons, please let Lando past, then you're free to race."

The Aussie driver responded: "I mean, we said a slow pit stop was part of racing, so, I don't really get what changed here... but if you really want to do it then I'll do it."

Following the few awkward seconds of team radio, he did indeed give the place back to Norris, meaning Piastri's championship lead is now 31 points, instead of 34.

Piastri's opinion that McLaren's mistake in the pits was merely an incident of racing was echoed by race winner Verstappen, who quite literally laughed at the papaya team orders.

But what is perhaps more concerning is Norris' reaction to the moment in the aftermath of the Italian GP.

Does Norris have the gumption for a real title battle?

So why didn't Norris initially share this view?

Speaking after the race, the 25-year-old raised a concerning question to Sky F1's Rachel Brookes, who queried McLaren's approach at treating their drivers equally in the championship.

The British driver responded: "Is that not the correct way to do it? Why should things get defined like that? We still were free to race after, in fact, he [Piastri] gained on the whole situation, he had DRS, he could fight against me, so I still lost out all the way through but the same thing would have happened if it was vice versa."

And that's exactly the point.

If Piastri were to be struck down by similar bad luck a few races down the line, Norris would have to play the team game again, and it’s his tolerance of McLaren’s bland approach to the championship battle that could cost Norris a title victory this season.

He should be ready to fight, not willing to wave his team-mate by, even if that is the way McLaren go racing.

The Brit appears to be somewhat oblivious to the fact that simple bad luck is sometimes unavoidable in a championship battle, in fact, it's what often makes or breaks a drivers' title chances.

Saying things like, 'we are beatable' like Norris did in his post-race interview does not demonstrate the mind of a champion, and if he doesn't fix his approach to this fight to become a champion fast, he will never end up as one.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen in Italian GP shock as F1 star hit with Monza penalty

F1 RESULTS: Verstappen snatches Italian GP win after late McLaren drama

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