IndyCar sister team Arrow McLaren reacts as Norris-Piastri dominate in Qatar sprint

IndyCar team Arrow McLaren reacted positively after Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris brought a pivotal one-two finish for McLaren in the F1 Qatar GP Sprint Race. With some heartwarming teamwork on display along with their blazing pace, the men in papaya-orange took a step closer to the 2024 F1 constructors' championship.

The Sprint race didn't begin as a McLaren special though. George Russell's Mercedes was in P2, spitting the McLarens, with Norris in pole position and Piastri in P3. Norris got off to a quick start and held on to P1 while his Aussie teammate overtook Russell by Turn 2 on the opening lap. He then put in a defensive masterclass to defend P2 till the end.

There was a twist at the end of the race, however. To everyone's surprise, including Piastri, as the leaders were nearing the checkered flag, Norris slowed down and gifted the latter the win in an ultimate show of teamwork. It was a repayment of Piastri's Brazil GP Sprint race sacrifice.

After McLaren's dominant showing, the team's IndyCar sister team, Arrow McLaren, took to X (formerly Twitter) to commend the performance, saying,

"That papaya 1-2 podium though…👀🔥🧡 Nice work, @McLarenF1.🫶"

Norris explained after the race that the team never ordered him to let Piastri by. It was his own doing, and only his engineer, Will Joseph, knew of his intentions. He said (via SkySports),

"It wasn't something that was really discussed, I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to. I told my engineer that I would do it, so he was the main one that probably knew about it. I told him before the race if we have a bit of a gap and we were first and second, then I would try and do it."

---

Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward lauds Lando Norris' selfless decision

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Practice - Source: Getty

Lando Norris' decision to let Oscar Piastri win a second Qatar GP Sprint Race in a row was unexpected. Post-race, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said the team was happy to finish one-two.

It was a potentially risky maneuver as George Russell, who was right on Piastri's tail, could've overtaken one of the two McLarens had the timing not been spot-on. The move drew Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward's appreciation, who commended the F1 driver's act on X. He wrote,

"Team. Work. great stuff gents."

After clinching the top two places in the Sprint Race, McLaren leads Ferrari in the constructors' championship by 30 points. But the battle will continue as there are 88 more points up for grabs. If McLaren outscores Ferrari by 15 points or more in the Qatar GP, it will win its first constructors' championship since 1998.