Aussie young gun Oscar Piastri has described as "completely fair" team orders that made him sacrifice a possible hometown podium at the Australian F1 Grand Prix for partner Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver was storming through Albert Park in third at the halfway mark of the 58-lap race on Sunday when ordered to make way and give up his place in the front three to teammate Lando Norris.
Piastri was made to settle for fourth while Carlos Sainz went on to take the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, with Morris coming in third fastest.
Though falling agonisingly short of breaking Australia’s drought at the Melbourne circuit, Piastri said he understood the reasoning behind the orders.
"For me, it was completely fair," Piastri said.
"He (Norris) qualified in front of me yesterday, went a bit longer on the first stop and he was catching me quicker at the point of the race.
"At that point, I was keeping with Leclerc and Lando was catching both of us so I was honestly kind of hoping he'd pass me and go and get Charles.
"I knew it (a podium finish) was a possibility at one point and if I was quick enough in the middle then it could've been a reality.
"I would have loved to have been one spot higher but I think for the team, it's been an amazing weekend, and honestly very happy with the gap to Ferrari especially being a lot smaller this weekend."
Norris thanked Piastri's selflessness at home after the race.
"He made my life easier and I think he helped us as a team, which I thank him for a lot," Norris said.
"I was a lot quicker and I would have overtaken him anyway.
"You don't want to delay the process of that happening and the longer I kind of spent behind him the worse he was making my chance of catching Charles and trying to be ahead of Charles.
"We have a lot of respect for one another in these kind of situations. For any driver who's racing in front of their home fans, you want to be on the podium."
Piastri's podium hopes were further dashed when he ran wide at the penultimate corner 10 laps later resulting in nearly four seconds lost.
"Just locked a bit," he said. "Maybe, I pushed turn 12 a bit more, bit out of position, tyres a bit hotter and the rear doesn't take much to get wrong.
"It didn't change my result. Of course, a bit clumsy but in the grand scheme of things just a slap on the wrist for myself."
The local product's Sunday efforts were an equal best for an Australian at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix.
Nine-time F1 winner Mark Webber finished fourth in 2012 before current RB driver Daniel Ricciardo repeated the feat twice in 2016 and 2018.
