McLaren’s performance at the British Grand Prix was a mix of disappointment and frustration as they missed out on a chance to win their home race. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both in contention for victory, but errors in pit stop strategy ultimately cost them.
The race started well for McLaren, with both drivers overtaking Max Verstappen and taking the lead. However, rain began to fall, leading to a crucial decision on when to switch to intermediate tires. This decision proved to be the turning point for McLaren and Mercedes.
Mercedes chose to double-stack their drivers, Hamilton and George Russell, while McLaren made the costly decision to pit Norris early and delay Piastri’s stop by one lap. In hindsight, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admitted that double-stacking would have been the better call. Piastri also acknowledged that staying out an extra lap was a mistake.
Another crucial decision came when it was time to switch to slick tires. Verstappen was among the first leaders to pit and opted for the hard tire. Hamilton and Norris followed suit, but Norris had a longer pit stop due to missing his marks. The choice to go with the soft tire, despite McLaren’s historical struggles with it, proved to be another mistake. Norris believes even if he had pitted on the perfect lap, he wouldn’t have been able to beat Hamilton.
Stella admitted that McLaren may have been influenced by Hamilton’s tire choice and acknowledged that going with the medium tire would have been a better call. Norris finished on the podium but lost a spot to Verstappen due to tire degradation. It is fair to wonder whether he would have won if he had chosen the medium tire instead.
The word “hindsight” came up several times in interviews with McLaren. Piastri and Norris gave their input on pit stop decisions, but ultimately, the final call rests with the team. Stella took responsibility for the mistakes and admitted that relying solely on the drivers for on-the-fly decisions would be asking too much of them.
McLaren is still a team in progress, racing against more experienced and stable teams. Mistakes like these matter more now that the margins are closer in Formula One. However, there is potential for McLaren to win races and compete for championships in the future.
In conclusion, McLaren’s errors in pit stop strategy cost them victory at the British Grand Prix. The team made the wrong call on when to switch to intermediate and slick tires, and their decisions were influenced by factors such as tire choice and the weather conditions. While disappointment and frustration were evident, McLaren acknowledged their mistakes and emphasized the need for improvement in future races.