Source: REUTERS/Mark Peterson
[Saba Sports News] In the 2025 F1 season opening Australian Grand Prix, home driver Oscar Piastrini missed the chance to win at home due to the McLaren team’s “hold position” order, ultimately finishing in 9th place. After the race, Piastrini stated that he would communicate with the team to try to understand the reasons behind this decision. During the race, Piastrini closely pursued his teammate Norris, coming closest when Norris was within his DRS zone. However, the McLaren team radioed an order for Piastrini to hold position to respond to changes in track conditions and weather. Despite Piastrini stating that he was faster than Norris, he obeyed the team orders. By the time the team allowed him to attack, Piastrini had fallen 2 seconds behind Norris. In response, Norris acknowledged that the hold-position order might have been debatable. McLaren Team Principal Zach Brown defended the team’s decision, stating that the heavy rain at the time posed risks of the cars losing control at any moment. If both cars were involved in accidents, all the team’s efforts throughout the race weekend would be wasted. Therefore, holding position was the best decision for the team.