Piastri: We clarified a lot of things and know how we’re going racing

Speaking to reporters in Baku, ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri, who leads the standings but had to yield second place to Norris two weeks ago after a botched McLaren pit stop, said the fallout was significant internally: “We’ve had good discussions with the team.

"Obviously, it was a highly talked about moment, but we’ve clarified a lot of things and we know how we’re going to go racing going forward, which is the most important thing. What’s happened is done, and I’m excited to get racing here," said the 24-year-old Australian.

Asked if there would be new rules of engagement once the Constructors’ title is secured, Piastri stressed that details remain confidential: “Not necessarily because of the Constructors’ Championship, but we’ve again had a lot of discussions about how we want to go racing.

"A lot of that is to stay for us because, ultimately, if we give out that information, then we become very easy targets to pick off. So that’s all very aligned with all of us but it stays in-house.”

Pressed on whether he would still have given up the position if it had been for victory in Monza, Piastri was frank: “But it wasn’t, so I don’t know. Would it have made it a bit more difficult? Probably, yes. But I don’t know if the outcome would have been different. I’m not planning on finding myself in that position.”

Piastri revealed that McLaren’s pit sequencing was as significant as Norris’s slow stop in shaping the decision to swap positions: “From Monza, there was another factor outside of the slow pit stop, being the order we pitted in. That was a contributing factor to why we swapped.

"Any other scenarios, again, you can’t plan for every single one that’s going to happen. But I think we’re very aligned and ultimately, I respect the team’s decisions and trust they’ll do their best to make the right ones," added Piastri.

On whether the same call would be made again, he admitted: “I think in exactly the same scenario, then yes, I would expect it to be the same. But the likelihood you’re going to have the exact same scenario is virtually impossible. Every situation is going to look different.”

The McLaren driver also downplayed any suggestion of personal injustice, saying his takeaway was clear: “It was a weekend where I deserved to finish third. I didn’t deserve to finish second because of the pace I had. I was quick at certain points, but not quick enough the whole weekend. That’s my main takeaway — what I’m trying to focus on going forward. Mark [Webber] is very much on the same page with that.”

Asked about fan backlash, Piastri was pragmatic: “The decision we made as a team. There’s no right answer to that decision. If we had done the opposite, then you’d have the opposite half of the fans saying that was wrong, and vice versa.

"So ultimately, there’s no correct decision in that. Am I surprised? Not really. I feel like a lot of fans are quite quick to jump on things that are deemed controversial. But I do think we have enough freedom to control our own destiny in the championship," concluded Piastri.

After 16 Rounds, Piastri leads Norris in the 2025 Formula 1 standings by 31 points with eight GP weekends remaining. McLaren could wrap up the Constructors' standings in record time if the pair finish one-two in Baku this Sunday.