Oscar Piastri shares how he could prevent McLaren team orders for Lando Norris at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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Oscar Piastri’s pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix may feel bittersweet. His magical lap could count for nothing given the current world championship landscape.

McLaren teammate Lando Norris looked firmly on course for pole position after an ominous performance in SQ1 and SQ2. However, Piastri stunned the title-chaser by lapping around three-hundredths quicker on his final run.

Inevitably, the Australian has faced instant questions over whether McLaren will impose team orders. The team have already stated that they will favour Norris as he chases down Max Verstappen.

Norris arrived at Interlagos 47 points behind the Red Bull superstar. Piastri is already out of realistic title contention after slipping 111 points off the pace.

There’s only a point difference between first and second under the Sprint format. But Norris needs to gain an average of almost 12 per weekend.

Piastri benefitted from McLaren’s erstwhile ‘let them race’ approach in Monza in September when he bravely passed polesitter Norris on the opening lap. But that cost the team a likely victory by opening the door for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Oscar Piastri can give McLaren second thoughts on team orders

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 soon after the session, Piastri was realistic. He accepts that the points would be more valuable to Norris.

But that doesn’t mean he has no qualms about moving over. In fact, he hinted that he could build a compelling case to keep the win.

By combining maximum ‘effort’ with victory-worthy speed, he’ll intensify the dilemma on the McLaren pit wall. It’s one of the biggest calls Zak Brown and Andrea Stella will have to make this season, assuming the two drivers remain in a one-two position.

“Lando needs the points in the drivers’ standings more than I do,” Piastri said. “But of course, I still want to win. If I put in the effort and have good pace, I’m sure that won’t go unnoticed.”

Karun Chandhok suspects Oscar Piastri used ‘Fernando Alonso trick’ to beat Lando Norris

Brown previously said Piastri wouldn’t have to give up a win for Norris. But the 23-year-old’s interview answers confirm that this is very much a possibility in Sao Paulo.

Norris called for Piastri to do a ‘better job’ this weekend as he urged McLaren to collectively raise their game. He knew that could aid them in both championships – put cars between himself and Verstappen, and see off the rising threat of Ferrari.

However, those remarks partially backfired on Friday. Karun Chandhok wonders if Piastri used a ‘Fernando Alonso trick’, keeping pace in reserve before surprising Norris when it mattered.

Piastri is coming off an eighth-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix. His 100% Q3 record came to an end as he qualified 17th, but this was an emphatic return to form.