Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

McLaren mechanic replies after fan claims Oscar Piastri has better pit stops than Lando Norris

Originally posted on HITC | By David Comerford | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 7:33 AM ET

McLaren’s pit crew have come under fire after a slow stop for Lando Norris at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, and now one of the team’s mechanics has addressed the issue.

Most of the talk after Monza was about McLaren’s team orders. In the closing stages, they told Oscar Piastri to let Norris back through into second place.

Earlier in the race, Norris gave Piastri the chance to pit first despite running ahead, protecting him from an undercut by Charles Leclerc.

When it was his turn to stop, a 5.87-second tyre change—much slower than usual—meant he came out behind his teammate. That delay ended up fueling the debate.

McLaren mechanic on luck and pit stops between Piastri and Norris

A fan took to X to ask why “Oscar gets the fastest pit [stops]”, even accusing McLaren of “favouring” the Australian, which they believe is “spoiling” the races.

McLaren mechanic Barry Childs responded, disagreeing with this view. He pointed out that while both drivers have had their share of slow stops, things have balanced out across the season.

ICYMI, here's what happened with McLaren towards the end of the race #F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/rnRMl6J1xs
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 7, 2025

“I think if you added them all up from over the year the average is probably around the same for both drivers,” he wrote.

The table above breaks down every pit stop so far this year and shows a gap of just six-hundredths of a second. Piastri’s stops have been slightly quicker, but there’s no real evidence pointing to any favouritism.

How McLaren’s pit stops compare to the rest of the grid in 2025

Piastri’s 1.91-second stop at Monza wasn’t just the fastest of the race, it was also the quickest pit stop recorded by any team this season.

That added to some of the frustration among Norris’ supporters, though it could have happened to either driver given how close their times have been overall.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DHL Motorsports (@dhlmotorsports)

Across the season, Ferrari lead what’s often called the ‘pit stop championship’, with McLaren sitting in second place. Red Bull are third, followed by Racing Bulls and Mercedes rounding out the top five.

Piastri has received more team orders than Norris this year, a point his fans might raise. But McLaren have tried to keep things even between them from Zak Brown and Andrea Stella’s point of view.

While Nelson Piquet Jr has said Piastri now has a “card to play” within McLaren after following team instructions at Monza, it doesn’t seem like either driver is unhappy with how things are being managed so far.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: