Norris ‘not proud’ after team orders in Sao Paulo Sprint but hails Piastri and McLaren for ‘great job’

“This was a clear conversation that we had with our two drivers,” Stella reflected. “Both drivers are completely supportive, cohesive of this kind of approach. We’re in a very lucky position to have not only two number one fast drivers, but also two great team players.

“In terms of executing the swap, obviously this depends on where the others are. The sufficient gap between the second and the third never really materialised.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the F1 Sprint in Sao Paulo as Piastri helps Norris to victory

“So we needed to wait, but as soon as we saw that there was a possibility of a Virtual Safety Car or a Safety Car, we then executed it immediately, so pretty much the Sprint race went according to plan. It’s always a little tense, it’s a Formula 1 competition – I would be surprised if it wasn’t the case!”

Stella went on to hint that the team would again enact such orders if another scenario like this arises during the remainder of the campaign.

“If you are a Formula 1 driver and you are second, you’re always going to be a little bit nervous, so we deeply respect this aspect,” he said of the drivers’ situation in the Sprint.

“But like I said before, the reality is that our conversations have always been, not only this morning but even in the previous races, extremely constructive and cohesive and definitely it’s going to be the case for the remainder of the weekend and the final part of the season.”