Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton refused team orders, McLaren reminded

McLaren have been reminded about the great drivers who squabbled with teammates, after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s awkward Hungarian Grand Prix.

McLaren spent the final part of the race demanding Norris conceded the lead to his teammate Piastri, after their differing pitstop strategies.

Piastri’s maiden grand prix victory arrived amid Norris’ frustration, although he later insisted McLaren’s call was correct.

“It was the right decision,” Eddie Jordan told the Formula For Success podcast.

“Once the team makes the decision, the driver has to comply.

“Ralf Schumacher was never happy with me telling him not to pass Damon Hill.”

David Coulthard said: “I just felt it could have been communicated better.

“Oscar, this was his moment to get his elbows out. The results were going Lando’s way.

“If you start getting a clear points leader, the team then has to support that driver.

“The drivers’ championship is the priority, that’s what the fans are observing.

“I just felt that having the race engineer give the instruction - in modern Formula 1 it is played out for all of us to hear - it puts the race engineer and driver relationship under strain.

“As Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase’s relationship feels under-strain because tensions are running.

“We need to cover off the rights and wrongs of how McLaren managed the victory.

“It took away from the joy and happiness of Piastri.

“When you think of the legacy and history of this sport, you look for exceptional drivers. Those fighters that do things we couldn’t do, and say things we couldn’t say.

“I wonder if having this team nice, all doing it together, only works until the crunch point.

“Let’s assume McLaren continue this amazing growth. Let’s say next year, it is basically Lando and Oscar trading victories.

“It will come to a head. No amount of ‘remember the team’ or no amount of ‘listen to instructions’ will get in the way of an absolute desire to be a champion.

“We know Ayrton Senna wouldn’t take team instructions, we know Michael Schumacher wouldn’t, we know Sebastian Vettel didn’t, Max Verstappen won’t.

“Lewis Hamilton, in Malaysia, was asked to move over for Nico Rosberg. He just didn’t.

“Lewis, in Abu Dhabi, in the battle for the world championship, was backing Nico up into the pack, hoping the pack would overtake him.

“That was uncomfortable for Mercedes.”

McLaren rebounded from their 1-2 finish in Hungary with Piastri finishing second at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, and Norris fifth.

Norris is second in the F1 standings at the summer break, 78 points shy of Max Verstappen.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner claimed McLaren’s team orders in Hungary were wrong because Norris is the closest challenger to Verstappen.