Unable to help Lando Norris barring a brief moment in Brazil’s Sprint race, Olav Mol has blamed McLaren’s team order “whining” for Oscar Piastri’s spate of mediocre results.

Although Norris and Piastri started this season on equal footing at McLaren, it was the Briton who emerged as Max Verstappen’s main rival title which prompted the initially indecisive McLaren team to issue team orders in his favour.

Oscar Piastri has just one podium in the last five Grands Prix

But even then there was some confusion as, having been told of McLaren’s ‘Papaya Rules’, Piastri attacked pole-sitter Norris for the lead of the Italian Grand Prix in a move that opened the door for Charles Leclerc, who ultimately won the race.

Those Papaya Rules were tightened one race later in Azerbaijan, McLaren making it clear that, if necessary, the team’s decisions would favour Norris.

But that proved unnecessary that Sunday as Piastri lined up second on the grid with Norris only P15. Piastri clinched the win, his second in Formula 1, with his team-mate P4 on the day.

McLaren again firmed up the regulations, adamant they would be “biased” towards Norris. They were, however, warned by several pundits including former drivers Ralf Schumacher and ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan that they risked damaging Piastri in the midst of their team order debate.

Securing just one podium finish in the last four Grands Prix, Dutch pundit Mol believes McLaren’s team order “whining” has impacted Piastri’s form.

F1 2024: Team-mate head-to-head stats

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“Yes, how come all that mess?” Mol asked on Ziggo Sport. “That’s because of all that whining at McLaren.

“‘Yes, we don’t do team orders. Oh, we’re going to do team orders. Oh no, we don’t do team orders anymore.’

“This boy is much too young for that. These boys have to learn to win, with everything that comes with it.”

He reckons McLaren only compounded the problem by having Piastri hand the Sprint race in Brazil to Norris, saying: “The previous race he had to yield to Norris in the Sprint race.”

Despite McLaren’s efforts to keep Norris in the title race, 24 hours after the Brazilian GP Sprint it was over bar the shouting as the McLaren driver finished sixth having made mistakes while Max Verstappen claimed the win and a 62-point lead in the title race.

One race later in Las Vegas, the Red Bull driver raced to fifth to win the title with Norris now in a fight to hold onto second ahead of Charles Leclerc.

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