Emilia Romagna GP: McLaren Strategy’s calls in imola showed “weakness”. F1 news

After the last MAX Versappin victory over Red Bull in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, McLaren’s strategic calls again be under check.

VerstapPen Oscar PiaSSTRI passed the Qabdi gathering in favor of the forefront in the first lap, but still has a great work to do it to secure victory with the other McLaren Lando Norris, and George Russell soon passes in third place.

While the Verstapen pace was undoubtedly faster than anyone in the expected imola, it can be said that McLaren made the Dutch life easier with many calls during the race.

Their decision came first to dig the leader of the World Championship, which exceeded the Verstapen with less than three seconds at the time, early in the LAP 13, who was effectively in a highly stop strategy.

This has led to reverse results as many other front centers, including Verstapen and Norris in the foreground, remained out and found more life in their tires to move to one strategic window while PiaSSTRI was forced to fight through traffic.

Then McLaren Norris incited, before the Verstapen stopped, at the end of the 28th, to carry out a virtual safety car just moments later when Esteban Ocon stopped the right track.

This was undoubtedly unfortunate for McLaren, with no way to predict such an occurrence, but the longer the driver remains, the greater the opportunity to benefit from such a break.

After that, Verstapen doubled its progress from about 10 to 20 seconds, then it seemed to roam the victory with the norris and PiaSSTRI followers with large gaps between them.

However, another incident – Mercedes Kimi Antonelli depends on the right track with a technical failure – sparked a full safety car and gave McLaren an opportunity to press Verstapen again.

With more than the feature of stopping the hole on Norus, the Verstapen incitement from the lead, and followed Norris.

However, PiaSSTRI remained out and appeared in front of Norris, but he was in front of his teammate on solid tires that were 16 rolls of the fresh brit collection.

It was unrealistic that PiaSSTRI would be able to challenge Verstapen since Red Bull also had new tires, while it was very likely that Norris would be able to pass his colleague in the 10 kind race to the end.

So McLaren had the option of PiaSSTRI to allow Norris to attack in Verstapen in the closing stages, but he didn’t.

Velnov: McLaren showed weakness

In the end, Norris passed the second and won the Verstapen comfortably, where he led the former world champion F1 and he led Sky SPORTS F1 Pundit Jacques Villeneuve to question their decision.

“They show weakness. Basically, they do not show the power that Red Bull always shows year after year,” said Velnov.

“It seems as if they are afraid that they will be aggressive in trying to win the drivers championship, and they are afraid that they will contradict PiaSSTRI. It is really strange.

“Pasri spoiled that first angle. He fell asleep. He shouldn’t have left the second angle, then he had no pace, which is strange. Norris was more pace.

“In restarting, McLaren knew that it was a matter of rolls before Norris Pasteri took with different tires, that was clear.

“100 percent is sure that he will advance, so why do you make him lose three rolls instead of giving him a shot in Verstapen?”

The result witnessed that Norris reduces the progress of PiaSSTRI at the top of the drivers’ ranking to 13 points, while Verstapen closed to 22 points from the lead in third place.

Villeneuve continued: “Because Verstapen is in the tournament. You don’t want to give Verstapen. These are more points for him in the drivers championship.

“It seems happy with the second and the third.

“This weak thing. You can also see it in the strategy. When Noris went long, why do you incite him?

“I made a hospitality decision. You are on the path. Your pace is still good. So why a little early? It seems as if you were afraid to go to that.

“They did not benefit from the virtual safety car. At the end of the day, with the other safety car, there was no difference. But it still shows that there is no” let’s go to it. “

Norris, Stella defends McLaren’s decisions

Although Norris allowed to pass through McLaren would give a better chance of winning, the fact is that PiaSSTRI was unlikely to want to allow his team colleague with the opportunity to postpone the swing 10 points in the ranking, which would have happened if they finished first and third.

Norris seemed to understand the team’s thinking and praised the wall of the hole for “good work.”

“I was on better tires, but I didn’t expect anything,” Norris said Sky SPORTS F1. “It was still a difficult battle. It was close to rotation. It is the way it should be, of course.

“I lose time through it, then lose time, but this is what we have to do for the battle for the championship.

“If you try to make a happy person, the other will be unhappy, so it is the case.

“I think we dealt with it well, and it was a good job by the team.”

Andrea Stella, director of McLaren team, revealed that he had thought about requesting the switch before making a decision against him.

“It was definitely an idea,” he said. Sky Sports F1.

“We want to get Oscar from his own chances of restart. So we assumed that the principle if Lando was able to pass the most that could have been able to easily cross Oscar by thinking that he was somewhat old tires.

“In fact, if the pace of the Delta was enough things, it would have taken care of themselves. We are happy with how things are evolved.

“Both drivers are happy, they think it was fair and this is the way we go to the race.”

Chadwick: Very early for the team’s orders

Series W. Three times and Sky SPORTS F1 Pundit Jamie Chadwick believes that it is very early in this season that McLaren will implement the team’s orders, because they will risk destroying the team’s chemistry.

She said: “It is the case of the number one driver. Because there is no distinctive clear.

“It is a good problem that we face. We have discussed it. It is not something bad for having two great drivers fighting for the world championship, but they cannot start providing these orders soon so that one of the drivers already gets the hump with the other.

“It is difficult. I think there will be a struggle at some point. I think we can enjoy this already. If you look to the day, I have already approached.

“I think that when this happens, McLaren will have to deal with it. Until then, I think they are playing a good team game.

“They are leading the Championships of the Bennis. Max held them today – I have grown to expect it – and I think this is the way I have succeeded.”

After that in the European President Triple-Headmer in F1 is The Jewel in the Crown, The Monaco Grand Prix on May 23-25, with coverage that starts on Friday live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky SPORTS at now – no contract, cancellation at any time