MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: ‘Principles’ and ‘protecting people’ – How McLaren's Monza team orders played out

Mark Hughes breaks down the key moments and reaction behind McLaren's team orders during the Italian Grand Prix.

Special ContributorMark Hughes
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As Oscar Piastri peeled into the Monza pits at the end of Lap 45 of the Italian Grand Prix, he did so from 3.7s behind McLaren team mate Lando Norris.

The tyre degradation rate on the high-grip surface was relatively low, so there wasn’t going to be much of an undercut effect even though Piastri pitted first before switching to the soft tyre (a part-used set). Ordinarily, with this level of tyre deg, you’d need a gap of 1.5s or less to have any chance of getting past the car ahead.