2025 McLaren F1 Team

[AR3-GP]

Anyway, McLaren isn't playing any favorites; that's BS- amazing only fools are fans of specific drivers who think that nonsense.

I didn't say they were playing favorites. I just said Lando was on the 1 stop because Mclaren didn't think Oscar could pass Leclerc.

Mclaren would have done the same if the order of the cars were flipped (Lando 2 stop, Oscar 1-stop). The objective was to win the race. They were not concerned about which Mclaren finished in front of the other. From Oscar's point of view, he was was robbed, plain and simple. For Mclaren, they got a 1-2, the drivers can suck it up.

One day Lando will be the one who is robbed.

[FittingMechanics]

McLaren is not calling the shots. It is obvious the driver and engineers have freedom to choose. Lando gambled with a suboptimal strategy in last two races because he was behind Piastri.

I am sure in the following races if Lando is ahead we will get Oscar going for alternate strategies. Some of them will work, some of them will not (just like with Lando). No one from top teams thought one stop is the best strategy and only one who opted for it was Lando who had to gamble. Why is that hard to accept? Same thing as in Spa where everyone was on mediums except Lando.

Realistically talking Oscar could have won, even with Lando's lucky strategy. Oscar had that oversteer in final corner on lap 61 and then lockup in 62. If he kept those two clean he probably wins.

[WardenOfTheNorth]

My view is that McLaren is giving each driver freedom to choose the strategy that they feel will maximise their chance to win the race, with the lead driver given priority if it is relevant. Theoretically that should give the team the best result as well.

Who would have thought 5 years ago that McLaren would have fans complaining about which driver might win the WDC!!

[Avocado]

299 points difference in the WCC. If I'm not mistaken, that's the biggest difference ever? What a season we're having, wow!!!

[FittingMechanics]

My view is that McLaren is giving each driver freedom to choose the strategy that they feel will maximise their chance to win the race, with the lead driver given priority if it is relevant. Theoretically that should give the team the best result as well.

Who would have thought 5 years ago that McLaren would have fans complaining about which driver might win the WDC!!

Looks like that to me as well. Stallard was giving options to Oscar on what he wants to focus on, tyre delta to Lando or undercut on Leclerc. Norris was given alternate strategies once Piastri made his pick. Each side can pick their strategies, will be interesting to see if Oscar is willing to gamble like Lando did.

I'd love to know whether this was in the papaya rules from the start of the year or introduced later (I am still frustrated by the cars not trying alternate strategies in Japan). At that time it looked like they are forcing same strategies to the detriment of the team result.

[Lazy]

It seems we are now in a mad new world where being ahead at the end of the first lap gives you not just pit priority but complete freedom to impose strategy on the other driver.

[bauc]

It seems we are now in a mad new world where being ahead at the end of the first lap gives you not just pit priority but complete freedom to impose strategy on the other driver.

Not true as this was track specific, if this was any other track, PIA with ease would have passed NOR due to tire age difference of 15 or so laps.

Stop overreacting please, as Hungary is Monaco without the barriers, it's always super hard to overtake here and if it does not rain, probability of boring race is 99%.

[FittingMechanics]

He was in agreement with you. Piastri fans seem mad that Norris made a hail mary strategy work, instead calling for team to force the other car onto same strategy.

[bauc]

He was in agreement with you. Piastri fans seem mad that Norris made a hail mary strategy work, instead calling for team to force the other car onto same strategy.

Oh yes, I misread that thank you!

[Tvetovnato]

He was in agreement with you. Piastri fans seem mad that Norris made a hail mary strategy work, instead calling for team to force the other car onto same strategy.

If directed to me since I brought this up, that is not at all what I am saying. Lando is free to do what he wants, always, or Piastri in a reverse position. But I think it is a fair discussion point of how to handle these things from now on, as the only thing that matters is the drivers championship at this stage.

The only reason I brought it up is because of the message to Oscar that he could apparently choose his fight, either Leclerc or Norris, implying he could give up a potential win just to cover Norris. Had they given the option to Oscar to see what Lando does and act on that in the first stint already, it is clear what choice he would have made, AND how the race would have panned out.

If you were in Oscars position leading the championship, knowing that your only rival is behind you and you had the option to secure that, wouldn’t you have taken that? I’m not pushing any conspiracy theory or some other crap like that, as I do believe they treat the drivers very fairly. But it’s clear from Oscar’s perspective that there was a ”championship strategy” up for choice as it turned out, or a ”race winning strategy” that he could choose from, and that is the whole point. What Lando chooses to do is entirely up to him and his choice, but Piastri’s side definitely had the option to wait for whatever Lando decided to do and react on that, no matter what choice Lando made.

And that is what Oscar should ask either team, or Tom Stallard or whoever he should pose it to. Next time, let’s focus on Lando all through the race IF that is an option. If the rules are that the best placed driver has an obligation to go for the win at all costs, then good! That is the playing field and then we know.

So let’s not simplify this to a fan rage matter, there is too much of that on this forum already. The matter has a bit more substance to it imho, and I am sure the same question would arise in a reverse situation.

Let’s look forward to another thriller in Zandvoort!

[GrizzleBoy]

I think its just pretty simple tbh.

If you already won the WCC (dont argue please) and your drivers are on a tight battle for the WDC, then dont penalise the driver who earned his track position by gifting the other driver who didnt.

ESPECIALLY on a track called "Monaco with walls". That just seems like poor judgement.

Lest we get to the last race and one driver who bombed quali two or three times and gets given track position by the pit wall , ends up winning g the WDC with points that cam from that gifted track position. I cant see that being a good look or a story that ever goes away.

[Seerix]

I think its just pretty simple tbh.

If you already won the WCC (dont argue please) and your drivers are on a tight battle for the WDC, then dont penalise the driver who earned his track position by gifting the other driver who didnt.

I agree, good thing nothing like that happened this weekend.

[Ben1980]

Anyway, McLaren isn't playing any favorites; that's BS- amazing only fools are fans of specific drivers who think that nonsense.

I didn't say they were playing favorites. I just said Lando was on the 1 stop because Mclaren didn't think Oscar could pass Leclerc.

Mclaren would have done the same if the order of the cars were flipped (Lando 2 stop, Oscar 1-stop). The objective was to win the race. They were not concerned about which Mclaren finished in front of the other. From Oscar's point of view, he was was robbed, plain and simple. For Mclaren, they got a 1-2, the drivers can suck it up.

One day Lando will be the one who is robbed.

Lando being on a one stop because everyone in front of him stopped, and it was the obvious thing to do.

[Ben1980]

I think its just pretty simple tbh.

If you already won the WCC (dont argue please) and your drivers are on a tight battle for the WDC, then dont penalise the driver who earned his track position by gifting the other driver who didnt.

ESPECIALLY on a track called "Monaco with walls". That just seems like poor judgement.

Lest we get to the last race and one driver who bombed quali two or three times and gets given track position by the pit wall , ends up winning g the WDC with points that cam from that gifted track position. I cant see that being a good look or a story that ever goes away.

How was Oscar penalised? Heck he never lost track position, he was second for ages, and still came second.

[Macklaren]

If you already won the WCC (dont argue please) and your drivers are on a tight battle for the WDC, then dont penalise the driver who earned his track position by gifting the other driver who didnt.

McLaren may have effectively won the WCC already but they are not going to give up a race win for an intra-driver battle. I don't think the team would have been thrilled by Oscar's answer to the "LEC vs Lando" question....unless they thought they would pass LEC anyway due to the tire delta (I doubt it)