In the wake of McLaren’s controversial ‘hold position’ directive during the Australian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri, the promising Aussie driver, has shared insights into the team’s internal discussions post-race. Piastri, who felt he had the upper hand over his teammate Lando Norris, complied with the unexpected team order, sparking widespread discussions among fans and pundits alike.
McLaren’s racing CEO, Zak Brown, had made it clear prior to the Australian Grand Prix that there were no intentions to establish a pecking order among the drivers through team orders. However, the ‘hold position’ directive to Piastri, who was second at the time, contradicted Brown’s statements, leaving the team and its fans in a state of confusion.
This mandate, however, was understood to be a temporary measure. Andrea Stella, the team boss, revealed that the order was a strategic move to navigate through backmarkers and to prepare for the potential threat of rain during the race. He also acknowledged the need to reassess the communication process with the drivers, given the unforeseen circumstances.
The ‘hold position’ directive became one of the main topics in the lead up to the Chinese Grand Prix, with Piastri offering his perspective during media interactions. He shared, “We’ve had some good discussions through the week about the thing that we potentially could have done better and things we could have done differently.”
Piastri further acknowledged the strategic need to protect a lead when two cars are in front and showed appreciation for the team’s readiness to improve their approach in the future. “I think there’s been some very good discussions about how we can, if we need to implement them in the future, how we can do a better job of that,” he added.
Following the Australian Grand Prix, Stella was questioned about the drivers’ understanding of the ‘hold position’ message and its temporary nature. He responded, “The drivers were aware when we gave the team order to hold positions, and then they were aware when we told them to be free to race.”
Questions remain whether the drivers fully grasped the complexity of the situation while they were at the wheel or were unaware that the directive was intended to be a momentary measure. However, Piastri seems content with the discussions held with McLaren in the post-race debrief. As the dust settles, it is clear that these experiences will serve as lessons for the team’s future endeavours, ensuring they are better prepared for similar curveballs on the track.