2025 McLaren F1 Team

[AR3-GP]

He did question the strategy calls, specifically pitting early. Complaining about tyres doesn't mean pit now. There are many things that can be done about it.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/oscar-pia ... verstappen

He didn't question them in the race. Per team radio:

Lap 10:

PIA: Deg feels higher than FP2
Eng: Understood Oscar

Lap 12:

PIA: "I think plan A is very ambitious at the moment"

End of Lap 12:

Eng: Oscar do you think this is Plan C?
PIA: Definitely yes.

Lap 13 [approaching Acque Minerale]

Eng: Use the pace Oscar

Lap 13 [approaching Rivazza]

Ing: Just waiting to know what you think, it looks like this pace won't recover so we suggest plan C
Eng: Oscar we should box, we should box, box this lap.

Oscar pits.


The radio shows that Oscar expressed concern with the deg, and told Mclaren "definetely yes" to Plan C (2 stop). It was the usual tire thrashing from Oscar. Due to the qualifying failures of #4, PIA went unpunished for many races. When Red Bull finally brought a decent car for Sunday it mattered.

[rbirules]

Something that I noticed with Max and that VSC. Max was 30 seconds in the lead from Piastri. Then we have the DNF of Ocon and the VSC is underway. Everyone has 30% less speed. When Max entered the pits to exploit that VSC he was 44 seconds from Piastri. How is that possible since everyone goes with the same speed. Were the time cards screwed. Is distance growing and shrinking during VSC? Was there a speed violation from Max? Can someone tell me how that works? I'm not insinuating anything by the way. Just curious to know what happened there.

I've re-watched that part of the race. The gap was a little bigger than 30 seconds (32-33 seconds) when Ocon stopped. I'm not exactly sure of how the gaps are calculated and thus shown, but I assume they have lots of "mini-sectors" and they use the timing as cars go through those to update as quick as possible, could be wrong, maybe they use some sort of GPS.

While under a VSC you have set times or deltas for each mini-sector of the race which is why gaps fluctuate slightly during VSC, and drivers try to time it perfectly when the VSC is ending.

The VSC came out right as Albon and Oscar were passing Ocon on track with yellow flags waving, meaning they had to slow for this section of track. Max was past Ocon when he pulled off and the yellow flags came out so Max wasn't impacted by the yellow flags. I'm guessing the time was updated for the second half of the lap as Albon and Oscar then came through mini sectors that Max passed under full speed, and we saw the gap from having to slow for yellow flags then be revealed. Max also gets to ignore VSC speeds while entering and exiting the pits so he gets extra speed at those points, but I think this is minimal. I think the bulk was Oscar having to slow for the yellow flags while Max did not as he was already past Ocon.

Seerix's explanation below is correct and better.

[Seerix]

when 2 cars are 500m away from each other and they go slower under VSC, it takes longer time to travel those 500m than in full race pace hence the timing appears as if the gap was larger... so those cars are still 500m away from each other, but the timing gap goes up as they slow down and returns back once they get back up to race speed.

[Darth-Piekus]

Isn't everyone on the same speed under a VSC no matter where you are in the lap either in or outside pits? Even in the pits someone has a maximum top speed of 80 miles per hour and that definately shouldn't be much faster than those under a VSC.

[mwillems]

He did question the strategy calls, specifically pitting early. Complaining about tyres doesn't mean pit now. There are many things that can be done about it.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/oscar-pia ... verstappen

He didn't question them in the race. Per team radio:

Lap 10:

PIA: Deg feels higher than FP2
Eng: Understood Oscar

Lap 12:

PIA: "I think plan A is very ambitious at the moment"

End of Lap 12:

Eng: Oscar do you think this is Plan C?
PIA: Definitely yes.

Lap 13 [approaching Acque Minerale]

Eng: Use the pace Oscar

Lap 13 [approaching Rivazza]

Ing: Just waiting to know what you think, it looks like this pace won't recover so we suggest plan C
Eng: Oscar we should box, we should box, box this lap.

Oscar pits.


The radio shows that Oscar expressed concern with the deg, and told Mclaren "definetely yes" to Plan C (2 stop). It was the usual tire thrashing from Oscar. Due to the qualifying failures of #4, PIA went unpunished for many races. When Red Bull finally brought a decent car for Sunday it mattered.

The driver gives his thoughts and answers to the questions given. The team have way more data.

They didnt say, "its better to wait x laps can we do that because of traffic and strategy?"

To which we don't know what he would have said. As Oscar clearly stated afterwards, the decisions were questionable from the team. It's clear he isnt pinning it all on himself and questioned the collective teams strategy calls.

[rbirules]

Isn't everyone on the same speed under a VSC no matter where you are in the lap either in or outside pits? Even in the pits someone has a maximum top speed of 80 miles per hour and that definately shouldn't be much faster than those under a VSC.

As Seerix explained, the gap is maintained under VSC, gap being distance not time. Under VSC it takes longer to go the same distance (30% speed reduction means the time it takes to cover that 500m in their example is 43% longer), so the gaps grow as timing is updated and then when they go back to racing speed the time it takes the cars to cover that same gap is greatly reduced even though the cars are the same distance apart.

[AR3-GP]

The driver gives his thoughts and answers to the questions given. The team have way more data.

They didnt say, "its better to wait x laps can we do that because of traffic and strategy?"

To which we don't know what he would have said. As Oscar clearly stated afterwards, the decisions were questionable from the team. It's clear he isnt pinning it all on himself and questioned the collective teams strategy calls.

I think that Mclaren had their hand forced because Oscar was rapidly falling out of the undercut window of Max. The reaction was their best chance of keeping Oscar in the hunt for the win (and assuming that Red Bull would also stop twice). They didn't have much to lose. Red Bull and Mclaren would have finished ahead of the other teams on any strategy. I think the problems started with PIA's tire management. There was no reason for Mclaren to consider a 2 stop otherwise.

[Ben1980]

I listened to the BBC podcast when driving today.

Oscar when interviewed said he was struggling a bit. I also remember reading on the app, the team saying the undercut was strong. Maybe the surprise was Max holding on to his tyres, they lasted well.

It was also said, that the Mclaren and RB are basically very close. But the Mac is better with managing rear tyres when it's an overheating issue. With normal deg almost nothing between the cars.

Therefore, if it's a deg issue cars will be close, if it's a overheating issue Macca will be better.

[Cs98]

Isn't everyone on the same speed under a VSC no matter where you are in the lap either in or outside pits? Even in the pits someone has a maximum top speed of 80 miles per hour and that definately shouldn't be much faster than those under a VSC.

Time = distance / speed.

[Mansell89]

Any fears in Monaco or is the Macca just as good now in low speed to not worry?

[Darth-Piekus]

Shouldn't Mclaren be better on low speed corners than high speed corners?

[FittingMechanics]

Oscar pulling the trigger to go for two stops is the same mistake McLaren made in Monza. Maybe the tires wouldn't last or they just didn't treat them right but at least here it didn't really cause them to lose a victory. They were in P2 already by that time.

We can view at it any way we want, but it is clear McLaren is not a top team strategy wise.

[Ben1980]

Oscar pulling the trigger to go for two stops is the same mistake McLaren made in Monza. Maybe the tires wouldn't last or they just didn't treat them right but at least here it didn't really cause them to lose a victory. They were in P2 already by that time.

We can view at it any way we want, but it is clear McLaren is not a top team strategy wise.

They can't be criticised in Suzuka for not trying, them criticised for trying sonething. It wouldn't really make a difference but it didn't really lose anything ( for the team, maybe Oscar lost 3 points)

[Ben1980]

https://x.com/thomasmaheronf1/status/19 ... JYv-w&s=19

Trying to clip Macca? Or were they too close to the line?

[CjC]

Any fears in Monaco or is the Macca just as good now in low speed to not worry?

Personally I don’t know what to think.
Mark Hughes says the Red Bull has an advantage over McLaren in the high speed which would suggest McLaren are better in the slower stuff, Mark also suggest McLaren have an advantage in traction and to a certain extent I’ve read Stella echoing the same suggestions. However, I’ve heard Lando twice say now (in Imola and I can’t remember the other venue) that Red Bull are stronger in the slow speed corners.
So I haven’t a clue.