Juan Pablo Montoya shares why a ‘black cloud’ was hanging over Oscar Piastri at Monza

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Oscar Piastri earned his sixth consecutive Formula 1 podium at the Italian Grand Prix, despite being ordered to swap positions with teammate Lando Norris.

McLaren were forced into a difficult decision in the closing laps of the race, after a pit stop mistake swapped their drivers around. A request for Piastri to let Norris back by was granted, but the knock-on effect could be significant.

In the context of the drivers’ championship, it sets a dangerous precedent. Their Aussie driver may expect to have a similar favour returned at some point, and will expect fair treatment. A tantalising end to the Formula 1 season is set up, and it’s hard to predict who will come out on top.

Piastri admitted his title fight has an ‘added complication’ that he has never experienced before, now that he’s sparring with his teammate for top honours. Piastri has become less ‘authentic’ over the radio this year and has picked up on the politics of the sport, according to Ralf Schumacher.

READ MORE: McLaren mechanic responds after fan claims Oscar Piastri is getting better pit-stops than Lando Norris

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks McLaren swap created a ‘black cloud’ for Oscar Piastri at Monza

Jolyon Palmer was amazed by Piastri and his impressive Charles Leclerc overtake in Monza. His racecraft in particular has been strong and has developed a long way over the last few years.

He now holds a 31-point lead over Norris with eight races to go, which relieves some of the pressure on his shoulders.

Speaking about the driver swap in Monza, Juan Pablo Montoya thinks that it created a ‘black cloud’ that will hang over Piastri for a while to come.

“If it bothered him so much, he should have been a little more intelligent or more aggressive in what he did,” he said. “Because he returned it by entering the second chicane, where he has the two Lesmos, and he has Ascari, who can’t follow the car ahead.

“So it was not a strategic area. He could have, if he really wanted to fight him, he should have let it happen elsewhere. Personally. If he wanted to give the opportunity to return to the position and win again and stay ahead of Lando, he had to have passed elsewhere.

“So I think that gave him so much. I think those are the moments that I think that Oscar looks super calm, but that cloud, the black cloud hangs over you, and you don’t think, you know what I mean? It just makes you angry.”

READ MORE: Oscar Piastri told he now has a ‘card to play’ with McLaren after accepting Monza team orders

Why Oscar Piastri has a silent advantage over Lando Norris in the F1 title fight

Even though Norris has four seasons more experience than Piastri, there’s one advantage the Aussie enjoys that he doesn’t.

Piastri’s latest title battle came back in 2021 when he claimed the Formula 2 title, so the on-track warfare and intensity are still fairly fresh in his mind.

Meanwhile, Norris hasn’t had to dice for top honours since 2018. When it looked as though he might last year, he started to clash often with Max Verstappen.

McLaren will be hoping that their two drivers can avoid colliding, particularly before the constructors’ title is sealed. It has been their priority all year, and is still atop their importance list.