Danner slams McLaren’s Monza order as “absurd”

Christian Danner has added his voice to the criticism of McLaren’s decision to impose team orders at Monza.

Oscar Piastri was told to surrender second place to teammate Lando Norris, who had lost time in a slow pit stop, while race winner Max Verstappen could be heard laughing at the call over team radio.

Danner, 67, told AvD Motorsport Magazin that Verstappen’s reaction was entirely justified. “It’s completely understandable that Max laughed so much,” said the former F1 driver.

“If I were him, I would have done the same and communicated it too, because that’s a great way to ridicule your opponent.”

He argued that McLaren’s so-called “papaya rules” were badly misjudged. “It’s quite unusual for a Formula 1 team to shuffle drivers around like puppets under the guise of fairness,” he said. “In retrospect, I think McLaren wouldn’t have handled one or two things in the same way now, but the whole process was such that, personally, I have to say it borders on absurd.”

Danner, who raced for Zakspeed and Rial in the 1980s, warned that the situation could boil over if Piastri loses patience. “I’m sure there’s internal discussion,” he said.

“It’s perfectly normal for things to simmer, and actions like those in Monza increase the pressure. At some point, the pressure in McLaren’s boiler will build to the point of an explosion. At some point, Piastri’s temper will also explode.”

His remarks follow those of ex-F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, who told Blick this week he suspects McLaren’s preference is for Norris to take the 2025 crown.