Source: REUTERS/JAKUB PORZYCKI
[Saba Sports News] Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner dropped a bombshell on McLaren, bluntly stating that when Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris’ championship battle reaches its peak, “human selfishness will eventually overcome team orders.” These heart-piercing words directly targeted the dramatic scene at the end of the Imola race – when Norris tried to catch Max Verstappen using new tires, he was stubbornly blocked by teammate Piastri using old tires, ultimately allowing the Red Bull team to claim their second season victory. Horner said that at the time, Piastri’s right front tire was already worn out, yet he still didn’t give Norris a clear path to chase Verstappen, calling it a fatal blunder by McLaren. Technical data shows that Piastri’s early pit stop cost him 8 seconds, and Norris’ late-race new soft tires were faster than Verstappen’s by 0.5 seconds per lap, but due to teammate blocking, he wasted three precious laps. According to sources within McLaren, intense arguments erupted at the post-race team meeting. Norris’s team questioned the strategy group’s favoritism towards Piastri, while the Australian newcomer fired back that British driver “lacks team spirit.” More dangerously, telemetry data revealed that the two drivers deliberately disrupted each other’s driving lines in the last five laps – Norris interfered with Piastri’s corner exit rhythm by delaying braking, while the latter repeatedly cut across lines to block him.