Oscar Piastri kept his guard up when asked about McLaren’s team orders debate on Thursday, insisting: “We don’t want to make the other teams any wiser.”
Championship leader Piastri, who has a 31-point lead heading into the Azerbaijan GP this weekend, was ordered to give up second place at the last round in Monza for title rival Lando Norris.
Although he initially protested, Piastri moved over for his teammate in an incident which has sparked debate regarding McLaren’s potential interference in this year’s championship race.
Yet Piastri, who played the team game, refused to elaborate on the details of any internal discussions ahead of round 17 in Baku.
"We talk a lot about how we want to race, but most of it stays between us,” the Australian said.
“We don't want to make the others any wiser, so we don't want to give away too much information. But we're all on the same page."
Asked if he would have surrendered position to Norris in Italy if a win was at stake, Piastri responded: "That just wasn't the situation. It probably would have made it more difficult, but I don't know.
"It wasn't just about the slow [Norris] pit stop but also about the order of our pit stops.
"But all in all, from a sporting perspective, it was a weekend where I didn't deserve more than third place. I wasn't fast enough and I respect the team's decisions."
Piastri won last year’s race in Baku, his second-ever victory in F1, and will be looking to extend his lead with eight races to go this season.
McLaren can wrap up the constructors’ championship with a record seven races to spare this weekend. The reigning champions lead Ferrari by a massive 337 points.
“Last season went down to final race, this year the car has been a step better, the team has been performing very well,” Piastri said.
“Much more of a sense of inevitability about this year which is an amazing position to be in.”
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