E8404424 wrote: ↑01 Sep 2024, 17:52
I really do wonder what McLaren are up to with the way their managing Lando and Oscar. In Hungary it was the right thing to reverse Lando and Oscar, Oscar was leading and was put out of position by the team, who never really explained properly why they did it to Lando and then they emotionally bullied the guy via his race engineer. I was expecting them to take a family member hostage at one point or get on the radio with "Lando, we have a box of kittens here, don't make me do it". Stella should have stepped up, got on the radio and said "Lando, we pitted you first to cover Lewis. Oscar would still be leading if that was not the case, this was a team decision and we are informing you, as a team order, to let Oscar back through. I apologise for not being as clear as we should have been" .. End of situation. Management is doing things right, Leadership is doing the right things. Horner, Wolff etc etc would have got straight on the radio and nipped it in the bud. That whole exchange, as someone who led people as a military officer was utterly appalling and shameful leadership, let alone management. We then had Lando being told, for the world to hear, that you are going to need Oscars help in the future. Basically, you cant win without him. Some vote of confidence. After the race Zack stood up and said that they supported Lando's bid for the drivers title .. straight after you had lost him seven points in the chase for it to no loss for the team no matter who finished in front of who.
Lando has been with that team for six years, when they were winning nothing, and lapping at the back, Red Bull came calling more tha once when they were winning races for fun, he stayed loyal and signed contract after contract. He has two wins to Oscars one. He has outscored, outqualified and outraced Oscar over last season and this season, and it's not exactly close either. If you are not going to support that driver, now we are in the last third of the season when he has a chance of a drivers title then when are you going to do it ?? .. I can see Stella getting to Qatar and saying "Now Oscar will support Lando". McLaren seem far more keen on appearing fair to Oscar than supporting Lando going for the WDC. Stella is clearly fantastic technically but he couldn't hit the ground if he threw himself at it when it comes to man management in my book.
And I know that this is just Oscars second year, and as much as I admire the guys talent, and I do as he is extremely talented, if he was the next Max or Lewis we would have seen it by now. He went off under zero pressure in Hungary, lost two seconds and arguably a win at Spa by almost sending a mechanic into the next dimension and hasn't looked like winning in the style of Lando at Zaanvoort, or anything close to it, anywhere. His favourite thing seems to be fighting his team mate above anyone else, Austria lap one springs to mind. Today he basically put a do or die move on that required his team mate to either give way or collide. And that let LeClerc into second, it benefitted him but hurt the team by putting Lando in third and possibly ultimately cost him the race. With Lando, or Oscar in second McLaren control that race. That move let LeClerc in the door for the win. I thought Lando dealt with it brilliantly, he didn't do what he did before after the race and get emotional or play the victim. He praised Oscar, laughed it off and looked pretty unfazed but it's clear that Oscar is only out for Oscar, and that's fair enough. The cool down room was chilly to say the least. Lando needs to do the same now, he seems far more mentally strong since we came back from the summer break. Next time Oscar sticks his nose up the inside slam the door shut hard in the same style that Oscar seemed happy to do today. If they both go off then you'll know for next time. And it was a ballsy move from Oscar to be fair, a brave move, but ultimately a stupid one as it gave away the chance for the team to control the pace.
McLaren need to state what they are doing. Either support Lando or not. State it clearly, or not, instead of this wishy washy "Papaya Rules" drivel. Right now you have the Mclaren driver with the only realistic chance of the drivers title not being supported in that, a team who are more interested in apparently being seen as fair rather than realistic, and a situation where the leading scoring driver in the team can be forgiven for wondering if McLaren genuinely want him to win the drivers title.
McLaren need to get a grip on that sharpish one way or the other.