McLaren allowed to use Oscar Piastri’s services

McLaren has not ruled out asking Oscar Piastri to replace Lando Norris if the British driver’s health does not allow him to compete in the Monaco Grand Prix.

In Spain, Lando was not feeling well all weekend, which was initially attributed to allergies, but then he was diagnosed with acute tonsillitis and did not get better, which was also exacerbated by the heat, as temperatures in Barcelona were above 35. degrees came.

Despite this, Norris not only found the strength to go to the start, but also had a good race and earned points for 8th place, but after that he could not even participate in the traditional communication with the press.

After the Grand Prix, Andreas Seidl, the head of McLaren, spoke highly of his driver and expressed the hope that Lando would recover at the start of practice in Monaco.

“I can’t find the words to fully thank him for how he broke forward (after starting from 11th position), – Seidl said. – Lando showed a real fighting spirit, as it allowed us to score four points. to deserve.

Of course the doctor made the decision about his participation in the race, we would never risk Lando’s health, I want to clarify this right away. Obviously, he was unwell all weekend, and with tonsillitis, the energy level has decreased. The race was really tough, especially in this heat, and now he’s just exhausted.

We have to give him the chance to rest well for the next four days before he has to get back to work in Monaco. I hope Lando gets better, also thanks to the help of doctors. But as you know, if necessary, we have the possibility to call on the services of reserve drivers who are ready to drive.

McLaren has agreements on this with Mercedes and Alpine and when Seidl was asked what the chances are that the team will ask Oscar Piastri to drive, he replied: “We plan to resolve this issue in the near future. What option do we have? choose will depend on which drivers are available as some may have commitments in other race series.”