Nico Rosberg Criticizes McLaren's Monza Team Orders: Pit Stops Are Part of Racing

Nico Rosberg has strongly criticized McLaren's controversial team orders at the Italian Grand Prix, asserting that pit stops, even slow ones, are an integral part of racing and should not dictate position changes after the fact.

Why it matters:

McLaren's decision to instruct Oscar Piastri to cede second place to Lando Norris, following Norris's slow pit stop, ignited a significant debate regarding fairness and the consistent application of established team policies. This incident starkly highlights the complex interplay between strategic team decisions, individual driver performance, and the interpretation of what truly constitutes 'part of racing' within Formula 1.

The incident at Monza:

Lando Norris was running in second position behind Max Verstappen when McLaren eventually called him in for a pit stop late in the race. Unfortunately, Norris experienced a delayed stop, remaining stationary for 5.9 seconds due to a wheel nut issue on his front-left tyre. This contrasted sharply with teammate Oscar Piastri's earlier, swift 1.9-second stop, causing Norris to rejoin the track behind Piastri.

Piastri's race engineer, Tom Stallard, subsequently instructed the Australian driver to cede the position to Norris. Piastri briefly argued against the order, reminding the team of their stated policy that "a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don’t really get what’s changed here." However, following a second, clear instruction, Piastri complied, moving over for his teammate. He ultimately finished the Grand Prix two seconds behind Norris, a scenario that race winner Max Verstappen found rather amusing, chuckling, "Ha! Just because he had a slow stop?"

Rosberg's firm stance:

2016 F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg revealed that the consensus among teams is that pit stop times are an inherent part of racing, making McLaren's decision particularly perplexing. Speaking on Sky Sports' F1 Show, Rosberg emphasized the impossibility of retrospectively policing or compensating for tenths lost or gained during pit stops.

"Because every team will have pit stop times as part of racing because it’s impossible to police that," Rosberg stated. "I mean, no pit stop is ever going to be the same. So are you just all day going to be running after, that teammate, his stop was five-tenths slower, that caused him in the end of the race to get overtaken. You know, you cannot."

He concluded that this standard understanding among teams – that pit stops are part of racing – is precisely "what’s made the situation so, so difficult."

The bigger picture:

This high-profile incident underscores the ongoing challenge for Formula 1 teams in delicately balancing fierce competitive driving with strategic imperatives and adhering to their established internal rules. It prompts critical questions about consistency in applying team policies and the potential impact such decisions can have on driver morale, team cohesion, and the broader championship narrative.