McLaren to react after a string of bad strategies
The British team once again missed an opportunity for victory. This time, it was a mistake by its driver Oscar Piastri in the pits that prevented the team from collecting the 25 points needed for victory. As a result, McLaren has announced new arrangements.
By crossing the finish line in third position but ultimately finishing second in the Belgian Grand Prix following the disqualification of George Russell, whose W15 was found to be 1.5 kg under the minimum weight allowed by the FIA, the Woking team scored 28 points during the weekend, 9 points more than its rival Red Bull. A score that could have been even higher if a new mistake at McLaren had not occurred.
An issue in the stands for Oscar Piastri
On the 31st of the 44 laps that make up the Spa-Francorchamps race, Oscar Piastri, then the leader, decides to stop at the pit. However, he brakes too late and locks his wheels, probably due to his hard tires being used for 20 laps, and misses his pit stop location, forcing all the mechanics to shift by a few centimeters. A mistake that cost dearly because with this 4.4-second pit stop, the Australian came out in fourth position, just behind Charles Leclerc. Finally finishing less than a second behind the winner Lewis Hamilton, victory was likely within reach for the McLaren driver, a sentiment shared by his boss Andrea Stella.
« Oscar immediately said on the deceleration lap on the radio: “sorry for the pit stop”. I think that this loss of a second and a half to two seconds during the pit stop ultimately proved to be relatively costly, and even because he would have been behind Leclerc with fresher tires earlier, which means he could have completed the overtake more easily.
The Italian took the opportunity to announce that discussions will be held with the drivers and all the team members to find a solution to a situation that continues to occur. Indeed, during the British Grand Prix, McLaren had probably already missed out on a victory when it decided to bring the Australian driver in a few laps after his competitors, while the track was starting to dry. Strategic errors that cannot persist within the Woking team, which is aiming for the constructor’s title at the end of the season and therefore cannot afford to lose points so easily.
We have to work with the drivers so that, even in hot moments, they do not exceed their stand location, as this can be very expensive. I think we had something similar at Silverstone as well,” Stella explained to the media. Despite this, the Italian underlines the consistency of the team and its two drivers who continue to achieve podium finishes every race weekend, allowing McLaren to gradually catch up with the Austrian team.
« I think we are actually quite satisfied with the level of consistency and robustness that we have as a team, the only team where the drivers have scored points at every race, incredible reliability so far. I’ve lost count of the consecutive points, maybe 10, 10 podiums in a row. So many opportunities to do better, but the overall picture is one of a very strong and consistent team, and this must be emphasized. »
« So, we earned eight points, now we are 43 behind (Red Bull). I take the positive points, and we continue to work on the opportunities. » If McLaren resolves its concerns in terms of strategy and optimization during races, it could become an even bigger threat than it already is to Red Bull and even take the constructor title from them, a reward that the Austrian team has been winning for 2 years now.
