McLaren is already relying on the team order at the start of the Formula 1 season – but the racing team has already suffered shipwreck with this tactic

Uncertainty traveled with Formula 1 on the way from Melbourne to Shanghai. The season opener in Australia turned into rain chaos. As a result, there was little definitive information for the teams to take into this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Apart from the fact that Constructors' World Champion McLaren does indeed have a superior car and is therefore the favorite for both titles. Lando Norris confirmed this in Australia with his victory from pole position despite all the adverse conditions. Even though China is only the second race, the leader is beginning to experience conflicts.

"Hold position" is the radio message all racing drivers dread, because attacking is the deeper meaning of this sport and deeply ingrained in every driver. Halfway through the Australian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was on the verge of catching and then overtaking his leading teammate, Norris. That was until the message came from the pit lane midway through the race. A clear case of team orders. This was only banned in Formula 1 for a short time, from 2003 to 2010. The ban was later lifted based on the entirely correct assumption that motorsport is a team discipline .

Nevertheless, no one welcomes this kind of interference in the competition, especially not in the first race. McLaren has established rules designed to ensure the relationship between the drivers is as fair as possible. According to these rules, both drivers are essentially free to drive, but if it's in the mutual interest to favor one driver, the other must comply.

Who will have to submit will be decided on a case-by-case basis. This is a result of strategists letting Norris and Piastri race each other for far too long last year. The Australian Piastri had taken valuable points away from the Briton Norris, who had a more promising World Championship position, in his battle with Max Verstappen.

The interference with the race in Albert Park appears to have been primarily due to the weather. Besides the passable racing line, the rest of the wet track posed uncertainties. A duel would have forced Piastri and Norris to leave the relatively safe terrain, risking retirement in the worst case scenario. Additionally, there were still cars ahead of them that needed to be lapped. Hence the order to protect the leader.

This was only later lifted when Piastri had dropped back. The 23-year-old, who had just signed a long-term contract, had only briefly complained over the radio: "I may be faster than Lando, but I'm doing it." Nevertheless, he will fear that Norris's role as number 1 could be cemented.

Since a driving error later left him with only ninth place, Piastri must be careful that his points deficit doesn't become so large that Lando Norris automatically takes over. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, a thoughtful race director, told the microphones of angry Australian journalists in Melbourne: "We're releasing the handbrake on Oscar." The Italian repeatedly reiterated that the ban was only a temporary one.

Stella's efforts to defuse the issue were noticeable. Both drivers were informed. Lando Norris, however, said in Shanghai: "They only told Oscar, not me." The World Championship leader expressed understanding for the strategy, and not only because he benefited from it: "If we had fought each other and gone off the track, we would have looked like idiots."

McLaren is in a comfortable position with two equally strong drivers, each pushing the other. That's why it won the Constructors' Championship last season. But this advantage can quickly escalate into a team war. McLaren has a history of burnt skin from the days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, and in 2007, the same thing happened again between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Things escalated on and off the track, and Ferrari lost the title.

The current no-risk tactic means increased communication work for those in charge. Team boss Stella speaks of unity, both on and off the track. This was one of the reasons why Oscar Piastri's contract was extended early. But Piastri knows that, with a 2:25 advantage, he must quickly emancipate himself. Regarding the Chinese Grand Prix, which offers opportunities for points with the sprint race, he announces: "I'm looking forward to attacking again."

He said he was satisfied with the discussions he had with his bosses this week and understood the circumstances: "We discussed intensively how we could find a better solution in the future, if necessary," said Piastri. His manager, Mark Webber, will have had a say; as a driver for Red Bull, he was once the victim of a team order in favor of Sebastian Vettel.

His colleague Lando Norris had already said in Melbourne that McLaren's greatest strength was not just a well-balanced racing car, but the fact that they had two equally capable drivers. Two who shared a similar driving style, were able to develop the car in the same direction, and pushed each other: "That alone made us an extra tenth faster in qualifying." Perfect harmony. It only remains to be seen how long this peace will last in the real world of racing.