Oscar Piastri was right, a slow pit stop is part of racing. Manipulation of results ought not to be, however, and McLaren’s instinct to do right by Lando Norris did an appalling wrong to the sport and to his team-mate.

McLaren’s decision to swap the positions of their drivers was intended to compensate Norris for the bad luck he suffered during a slow pit stop late in the race caused by a misfiring wheel gun. Whilst Norris was down for several seconds, Piastri, stationary for just 1.9 seconds, made up the deficit to his team-mate to claim second place.

What was looking like a three-point loss to Norris before the stops suddenly became a three-point gain. Had the positions stood, Piastri would have extended his championship lead to 37 points. Instead he goes to Baku next week with a lead

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