Following operational missteps at Silverstone, McLaren F1 vows to rectify issues to enhance race strategies.
Zak Brown acknowledges that McLaren F1 lost the race at Silverstone due to poor decisions and poorly timed pit stops. The team CEO is aware that victory was possible for both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri that Sunday in Great Britain.
“It was tough, in hindsight, we know we made mistakes. Both our drivers could have won here; they did an excellent job. When leading, you need to make the first decisions,” the American admitted.
“Lando and Oscar were close, and a double pit stop would have cost 5 seconds. It turns out it lost much more, but we didn’t know that since we were leading and discovering what the conditions were.”
“In the end, the mediums would have been a better strategy. Oscar was flying on these tyres, Max was flying on the hards, and we struggled with the softs. We had a set of mediums, and we need to review what we did. The positive point is that we scored more points than our competitors, and it was a great race.”
Norris came out behind Lewis Hamilton due to a slow stop: “We need to debrief about the slow stop; he came out a handful of seconds behind Lewis after a stop that was slower by a handful of seconds. We need to review things, but it seems we lose time with somewhat slow stops.”
But McLaren is relearning how to win, and Brown just wants these mistakes to stop happening: “To win in Formula 1, given the level of competition, everything must be executed perfectly. Mercedes and Red Bull have won a lot and had many titles, and we have a car capable of fighting for the title. We must ensure everything is done right as we are now in a position to win titles.”
Stella thinks McLaren was “too greedy”
Andrea Stella, the director of McLaren F1, admits that the team should have opted for a double pit stop instead of leaving Oscar Piastri on the track during the rain shower, which cost the Australian too much time, coming out sixth.
“We should have pushed harder and made the double stop. By delaying Oscar’s stop by a lap, we lost much more time than we would have with a double stop. So, in hindsight, it was the right thing to do, stopping both cars at the same time. We learn from this experience and will do better next time.”
The team boss also admitted that McLaren was perhaps too greedy regarding its strategic decisions, suggesting it did not want to accept losing time with a double stop.
“Yes, we were a bit greedy and didn’t want to accept that we would lose time with the double stop. But sometimes, you just have to be patient and accept that you will lose time, but do the right thing, rather than hope that one more lap won’t cost so much.”
“Especially when the rain was quite steady. It’s not as if he was going to face easier conditions by staying out one more lap. I think Oscar would have been in a very strong position, at least as strong as Lando, in terms of opportunities to win the race.”
“A missed opportunity” as the team was leading
Stella concludes his weekend review by nonetheless praising McLaren’s good pace. However, he cannot help but lament poor operational work that cost the team dearly.
“The race was intense, and we leave this weekend with a bittersweet taste. We knew that rain would be a factor at some point, and several drivers were in contention for the win at different times of the afternoon.”
“I think we looked very strong when the rain began to fall, with both drivers moving to the front of the pack. We failed to capitalize on this and it feels like a missed opportunity. We will review our decisions: some were good, others could have been better.”
“Once again, it’s important that we are in contention for podiums and wins, and perhaps the difference was a matter of small details in execution. Our pace over this triple-header of races has been encouraging and we look forward to the upcoming races.”
McLaren F1 Seeks Improvement After Silverstone Setback. McLaren F1 Seeks Improvement After Silverstone Setback
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