Oscar Piastri might regret handing back position to Lando Norris, says Piquet Jr
Oscar Piastri’s decision to return second place to teammate Lando Norris at Monza could come back to haunt him in the championship battle, according to Nelson Piquet Jr.
“He’s going to regret this a lot if he loses the championship by less than three points,” warned the Brazilian driver.
Piquet Jr, son of the three-time world champion, believes Piastri has now earned some goodwill with McLaren that could pay dividends later in the season.
“In my opinion, Piastri is earning credit with the team. If things get tighter toward the end, he has a card to play,” Piquet said on the Pelas Pistas podcast.
The young Australian currently holds a 30-point advantage over Norris in the standings.
“There are over 200 points still up for grabs. He’s just 30 points ahead. Two weekends can change the whole situation,” Piquet explained. “However, he’s got the right mindset.”
Piquet thinks Piastri is playing the long game.
“I’d manage things carefully, not taking too many risks since I have a small advantage. But I also think he’s being a bit of a team player, so that later he can say, ‘I helped a lot.'”
What makes the situation particularly notable is that Piastri gained the position through no fault of his own. It was McLaren’s slow pit stop for Norris that put the Australian ahead in the first place.
“He really didn’t need to give the position back because of a team error,” Piquet said.
Despite his concerns about the possible championship implications, Piquet still believes Piastri will come out on top this season.
“I don’t think that will happen; I think he’ll win the championship. But this decision wouldn’t have been made if there were only three races left.”
The timing played a key role in the decision-making, according to Piquet.
“There’s still a bit more than a third of the season to go. If there were only three or four races remaining, I doubt he would have done it.”
## The McLaren swap at Monza
The situation unfolded when Norris, running comfortably in second place ahead of Piastri, came in for his final pit stop after his teammate.
A slow pit stop cost Norris precious seconds, allowing Piastri to jump ahead when Norris rejoined the track.
This gave Piastri a golden opportunity to extend his championship lead to 37 points.
Instead, the McLaren pit wall asked him to give the position back—which he did without argument.
The move cost Piastri not just second place but also three crucial championship points.
Will those three points matter when the season concludes? Only time will tell, but Piquet Jr certainly thinks they might.
