Oscar Piastri’s lead over Lando Norris for the lead of the Italian Grand Prix reflected his reputation as a “respectful, hard, clean” racer, according to Mark Webber, despite subsequent criticism that the young gun was damaging his teammate’s title chances.
Pole-getter Norris sternly defended his lead from the line and immediately turned right to cover McLaren teammate Piastri at the first chicane.
Piastri responded by shifting left, catching the racing line and giving himself a better run until the second chicane, where he rounded the outside of Norris and moved into the lead with some excellent late braking.
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The pass was somewhat surprising as many had expected McLaren to have issued team orders in favor of Norris given his small margin over Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship.
With Norris also losing a place to eventual winner Charles Leclerc in the shock of the unexpected pass, some subsequently criticized Piastri for sacrificing the team’s result in the pursuit of personal glory.
But nine-time Grand Prix winner Webber, who has led Piastri since 2020, hailed the move as firm but fair.
“Respectful, hard, clean – and we saw that again this weekend at Turn 4 in Monza,” he told the Formula for Success podcast. “To get through that and brake absolutely brilliantly and execute the move as well as he did was another feather in his cap.”
The pass was especially impressive because of its control. The Roggia chicane was the scene of several spins on the first lap, committed by overzealous drivers on overly cold tires, but Piastri’s move was perfectly judged.
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It was a high-profile demonstration of the precision that has characterized Piastri’s style on the track and seen him considered a future great of the sport.
“I heard about Lewis [Hamilton] in karting he was always tough but fair,” Webber said. “I don’t put Oscar in Lewis’s category; of course he has to earn that. Here is Lewis with over 100 GP wins; Oscar is just at the beginning of his journey.
“But at the moment it seems that through his junior categories… his style of racing week in, week out, his damage bill is incredibly low.
“I think the respect from the other drivers he has raced against in the junior formulas has always been there, and he gets that respect. He wants to get respect.
“He just wants to earn his stripes, go out there and tell his story on the court, and that’s what he’s done so well over the last five years.”
Webber said Piastri’s sharpness was only more impressive due to his season-long absence from competition as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2022.
“Oscars in the junior categories were exceptional,” he said. “Coming into F1 with a 15-month break – he hasn’t had bloody races for a long time, which was tough.
“For every driver that is what you have to do. Whether you are an orthopedic surgeon or a racing driver, you must continue to practice your profession.
“Oscar had that gap, so I think entering Formula 1 last year was of course a big step for him, we know that from the junior categories, but time and time again he has shown that he is ready to race at the front against the big players. guys, and he’s great at that.”
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Piastri’s rapid progress in Formula 1 has become something of an unexpected headache for McLaren, which is grappling with whether Norris should be given preferential treatment over the Australian to boost its chances of beating Verstappen to the drivers’ title.
Norris is 62 points behind and can still claim the crown without having to rely on other results. While Piastri is still 106 points behind Verstappen in the mathematical battle, he should hope that the Dutchman overcomes setbacks to close the gap.
McLaren, meanwhile, is just eight points behind Red Bull Racing in the Constructors’ Championship, with the title now widely seen as something Woking must lose.
Webber praised the team’s progress but warned that championship glory would be harder to achieve than the points difference suggests, with winning races still difficult despite McLaren’s fast car.
“I think we can all agree that McLaren’s rise has been absolutely extraordinary,” he said. “What they have done in the last 18 months is extraordinary.
“Bag [Brown, CEO] and Andrea [Stella, team principal] doing absolutely great. They do brilliant work. That’s no fluke.
“The team is in a great situation to be fighting for wins more often than not, but that is difficult.
“These young drivers think that winning a Grand Prix is: ‘Give me a good car and I’ll win races’ – it’s still bloody difficult.
“Oscar [has been there] for 38 races and Lando for six years – three wins between them.
“It’s so hard to do.”
