Oscar Piastri has emphasised the importance of protecting McLaren colleagues with Lando Norris, following his teammate's costly slow pit stop at the Italian Grand Prix.
The poor pit stop saw the British driver fall behind Oscar late in the race at Monza, with the Woking-based squad subsequently intervening to instruct the 24-year-old to return the position.
Although initially reluctant, the Australian driver gave way to Lando on team orders and gave up his position, a move that cost him a six-point swing in the F1 drivers' standings against the British driver.
However, following the grand prix, he shared his opinion that it was the correct call, highlighting the need to put himself "second" in that scenario.
"We've said many times that we don't want the chance of success just for this year," Piastri told media.
"Ultimately, we want the best chance at winning championships for as long as we're Formula 1 drivers, and we're both at McLaren for a very long time," he added.
Sharing his stance on the order, Oscar shared, "Protecting the people around us that give us this opportunity is a very important thing. It's easy enough to put yourself second at times like that."
The season's leading driver admitted that Lando was ahead of him all afternoon, and he had "no concerns" in giving his position back after he had an unfortunate pit stop.
Addressing the error by a pit crew member, who had failed to adequately secure Lando' front left tyre at the first time of asking, Piastri pointed out how it must have felt for them.
"Again, we don't just want this year to fight for a championship; we want it for as long as possible.
The Italian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen take the top position with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri right behind.