billamend wrote: ↑19 Jul 2026, 18:24
Again, McLaren having awful strategy for Norris… The biases from the top trickle down.
Todays fiasco was all about not making sure that Oscar didn't lose out. Part of this rigid mandate they have about the lead driver being favoured for pitstops etc etc. The pit wall seem unable to see past their rigid plans and adapt to what is actually happening. Oscar's car damage was down to Oscar, a blind man in a snowstorm could see Charles was not going to back out yet Oscar just refused to back out. Lando was then racing Oscar when it was not needed, he was being held up, only for Lando to be told not to do the same with Oscar. Why are we leaving Lando out to Lap 30, losing a second or so a lap towards the end of that stint, instead of just pitting around 25 or 26 and giving him a chance ?? .. Look how close he was to Hadjar at the end. Couple of more laps and he would have had him.
I am in a minority here, to say the least, but I think the problem here is Stella. I think he is an excellent guy in the factory, a very good man manager, but a liability on the pit wall and at races. He also seems to have a very soft spot for Oscar. Lost of times it's all about him saying that we must be fair to Oscar, when Oscar is being beaten. When Oscar gifted Charles a win at Monza, because he was too busy fighting Lando, Stella states after the race that Oscar is the future. When Lando won the title last year Stella is going on about Oscar being a multiple Driver's Champion. When Lando won a sprint in Miami this year Stella states that whoever was on pole would have won that race. The fact is that Oscar has been beaten by Lando for the last three years, and he is being beaten, so far, this year. And Lando has had more DNF's than him. Max is being linked to the team for a reason.
I did a ground tour in the RAF where I was planning Tanker Trails. If you think race strategy is complicated, try that. The Vulcan that bombed Port Stanley was burning fuel on the bomb run that had passed through eleven of the thirteen tankers going south from Ascension. We were planning trails with ten tankers and twenty plus fast jets. And you cant just pull over and stop, run out of fuel and you go down.
The pitwall seem to decide on a strategy and then do everything to make it work instead of adapting to what is slap bang in front of them. Seen it so many times.
Might I suggest a new candidate for planning the strategy ?? .. What's Stevie Wonder up to these days ??