McLaren criticised for lack of risk: 'Roll the dice and take a punt'

F1 News

McLaren get criticised for not being bold
12 August at 07:00
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

For the first time since 2010 - when Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were at the helm - McLaren are in a fight for the Constructors' World Championship, with a slim chance of applying pressure on Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings. Karun Chandhok sees the team make significant leaps, but exposed one key remaining weakness: a seemingly lack of interest to be bolder and take more risks.

The gap is now 42 points, a deficit that can be overturned during one single Grand Prix weekend. Anything can happen with 10 Grands Prix weekends remaining (three of which are sprint weekends). A strong argument suggests that difference should be much less, or perhaps even the other way around. McLaren could've won more races, such as in Canada, Spain, and Austria.

Which area do McLaren need to improve upon?

“The drivers have really raised their game. The team, technically, in terms of the car design and development, has massively raised their game. Now I think operationally at the track, there needs to be another little step up to match what Red Bull have been doing," Chandhok gave his assessment on The Fast and The Curious podcast.

“I think it is a philosophy of how brave and bold you want to take, how much you want to take a risk. And on a day where Max is not going to win, your chance to win the championship comes from just doing something a bit different and maybe just rolling the dice and taking a punt. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but if you're there to try and catch, then you got to try and do something.”

Chandhok went on to highlight how George Russell opted for something different in the Belgium Grand Prix. The British driver told his team to think about the one-stop strategy, which ensured he crossed the finish line in first place. His Mercedes car was later disqualified from the Grand Prix.