Norris: Piastri got way too close for comfort

McLaren started the race with Norris on pole and Piastri sharing the front row with him, and while the former has been known for fluffing his starts recently (Zandvoort the latest example), he was ahead of his teammate at the start.

But Piastri had other plans, and chased his teammate, going on the outside as they entered della Roggia chicane, out-braked him and took the lead with some masterful driving.

"I feel he got way too close for comfort," Norris told Sky Sports F1 about the pass after the race. "We could both have easily been out in that first corner if I broke one meter later.

"If I could rewind, I would do stuff slightly differently. But it is what it is," he added. "Charles [Leclerc] won by two seconds in the end and the fact he got ahead probably gained him two seconds over the course of the race.

"We couldn't achieve a one-stop as our degradation was too high on the front tyres. That is a weakness for us at the minute," the Briton maintained.

McLaren have always insisted their drivers were free to race, and Team Principal Andrea Stella said of the first-lap fight between his drivers: "We will have to take a look with some calm, have a review together with them, and then we will assess the situation. And if there’s any learning to take from that, we will take it for the future."

Ferrari made a one-stop strategy work, while McLaren suffered from graining on Norris' car while deciding to play it safe with Piastri.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We always review things," Norris commented on his team's strategy. "We are doing a very good job. Today was not our day and we didn't get things correct but I wouldn't say we got them wrong either.

"I certainly couldn't have done a one stop as a second car, which is tougher than being the first car," he pointed out. "Trying to keep with Oscar in the dirty air meant I had to use a lot more tyre. That is just the price I paid."

As for Stella, he admitted losing out to Ferrari stings, he added: "It’s disappointing in the sense that we had the performance to win the race. But it was a race that was a very close race between a one and two. Most cars went for the two. I think for Leclerc it was a little easier to take a gamble on the one-stop because he was the car following.

"For us, with Lando, we had a lock-up on the front left which meant the tyre was going, so we went clearly on a two-stopper. With Oscar, it was more marginal, but he had and we had concerns as well, so we went on a two.

"We thought we would have time to recover the lead but Ferrari did a very good job. Leclerc drove very well, so we also have to acknowledge that competitors can do a good job and make, in this case, the one-stop work.

"So well done to Ferrari, but a strong weekend for McLaren, overall a very positive weekend," Stella concluded.

With Norris the only driver threatening Max Verstappen for the 2024 Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, McLaren's decision not to prioritize him seems questionable.

On the other hand, the Briton should not expect any favors from Piastri who is applying the most important rule in F1; the first driver you have to beat is your teammate.

Norris should simply up his game.