Lando Norris, British driver of McLaren in the MCL38, expressed his certainty that he would have overtaken his teammate in Formula 1, Oscar Piastri, during the Australian Grand Prix, even without McLaren’s intervention through a team order. Norris had started in third place, two positions ahead of Piastri, and both drivers moved up in the early stages after Max Verstappen retired due to a brake issue. However, McLaren decided to pit Piastri before Norris on lap 9, resulting in the Australian driver emerging ahead after Norris made his pit stop. Despite this, Norris quickly closed the gap with fresher tires and McLaren instructed Piastri to let his teammate pass to chase Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Norris, who ended up finishing third, believes the outcome would have been the same regardless of the team’s involvement, and expressed his gratitude to Piastri for making his task easier. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agreed with Norris, stating that Norris would have overtaken Piastri naturally, albeit with more time.
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