Oscar Piastri at centre of ‘make it difficult’ theory after Mark Webber ‘got in his ear’

Oscar Piastri has raced for McLaren since the start of the F1 2023 season

Oscar Piastri’s bold overtake on McLaren team-mate Lando Norris on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix was influenced by his manager Mark Webber.

That is the opinion of David Coulthard, who believes Webber “got in Piastri‘s ear” ahead of the race at Monza “to make it difficult” for the McLaren pit wall.

Did Mark Webber influence Oscar Piastri’s overtake on Lando Norris?

Piastri completed arguably the outstanding overtake of the F1 2024 season on the first lap at Monza, where he completed an ambitious move around the outside of team-mate Norris at the second chicane to take the lead.

The Australian’s pass came even though McLaren had been expected to enforce team orders to help Norris’s title bid, with World Championship leader Max Verstappen finishing a distant sixth.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc eventually took a surprise victory at Monza after utilising a one-stop strategy, with Piastri and Norris forced to settle for second and third respectively.

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Andrea Stella, the McLaren team boss, later hinted that the team could reconsider their stance on team orders ahead of the final eight races, telling media including PlanetF1.com that the team “want to give it a go” to try and win the Drivers’ Championship with Norris.

Norris trails Verstappen by 62 points ahead of next weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with McLaren now eight points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ title race.

Appearing on Channel 4‘s coverage of the Italian Grand Prix, Coulthard shared his theory that his former Red Bull team-mate Webber had influenced Piastri’s attack on Norris to put McLaren in a difficult position when it came to enforcing team orders.

Reflecting on Piastri’s overtake, he said: “I think there’s a bit of ‘Aussie Grit’ getting in there.

“Mark Webber’s got in his ear and said: ‘Buddy, you’ve got to try and turn this around to make it difficult for the team.’

“Brave, brave, brave pass around the outside.”

Coulthard went on to suggest that McLaren should have forced Piastri and Norris to swap positions when it became apparent that Leclerc could not be caught to boost Norris’s points total in his bid to close the gap to Verstappen.

The Scot cited his own experience of supporting Mika Hakkinen in McLaren’s fight against Michael Schumacher and Ferrari as evidence that every point counts in a tense title battle.

Asked if McLaren should have reversed their drivers’ positions in the closing laps, Coulthard said: “I would. I would, based on what I’ve learned through my racing career.

“I was in a situation where Mika was a bit quicker in qualifying, was delivering the better chance of a championship, we were up against Ferrari and Michael Schumacher.

“I didn’t like it but I think that, taking a look at the bigger picture, [McLaren] can win this Constructors’ [title]. They’re only [eight] points away.

“They still also could win the Drivers’ Championship. It was another not very good day point-scoring wise for Max Verstappen.

“And although Lando was brilliant again, getting the fastest lap [bonus point] on the last lap, that could be crucial later in the year.”

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