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McLaren found itself at the center of controversy during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. A botched pit stop for Lando Norris forced teammate Oscar Piastri to give up his position — a bitter pill to swallow, especially as McLaren’s pit crew had just broken the season’s fastest pit stop record with Piastri’s stop.
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A new record
For Piastri, the situation was particularly frustrating: his own stop had been lightning fast. The McLaren crew serviced his car in just 1.91 seconds, setting the fastest pit stop of the 2025 season so far. They edged Ferrari, who completed Charles Leclerc’s stop in 2.12 seconds.
Red Bull and others close behind
Racing Bulls also impressed, with Isack Hadjar’s tires changed in 2.18 seconds. Ferrari followed again with a 2.18-second stop for Lewis Hamilton, narrowly ahead of Red Bull, who delivered two quick turnarounds: Yuki Tsunoda in 2.19 seconds and race winner Max Verstappen in 2.21 seconds. Racing Bulls featured again in the rankings with Liam Lawson, while Alpine (two pit stops) and Mercedes completed the weekend’s top ten.
Record overshadowed
Despite the record-breaking performance by McLaren’s pit crew, the achievement was overshadowed by the strategic blunder and subsequent team order. What could have been a highlight for Piastri turned into one of the more painful storylines of the weekend.
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