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Quit being nice: McLaren are floundering around at the top of Formula 1
McLaren's rise to the top of Formula 1 was rapid. In around 18 months, they went from being at the bottom of the midfield to World Championship contenders. Job well done. But they can't afford to be nice and play the team game when the F1 championship is at stake. They need to bite the bullet and take the (Red) bull by the horns. Enough is enough.
McLaren belong at the top of Formula 1. They have two very talented drivers who are both still young. They have a brilliant technical department, with solid leadership from CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella. But one key element is missing. The knives are sharp at the top of Formula 1. It's a very cut-throat business, and they need to be more brutal about their decision-making.
Both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have a mathematical chance of winning the World Championship. Norris has a 62-point gap to bridge at the top of the standings, whereas Piastri is 106 points behind. Nobody gives the most recent race winner, Charles Leclerc, a chance at the World Championship, but he's 20 points ahead of Piastri in the standings. Okay, Ferrari don't have the car to perform at a range of different circuits like McLaren, but the point stands. If McLaren wants to secure one of their priorities, their best chance is with Norris.
Why McLaren must change tactics now
With eight Grands Prix and three sprints remaining in the 2024 Formula 1 season, Norris must take an average of around eight points more than Verstappen each weekend. A Verstappen DNF could, of course, change that drastically, but that's out of McLaren's hands. And a Norris DNF could happen just as easily. It's crunch time, almost at the point of no return.
So why are they not doing everything they can to give Norris the advantage? It seems as though they are playing the nice game and trying to keep both drivers happy. Of course, they say part of it is so they can win the Constructors' World Championship. That totally makes sense. However, a few things in Italy also cost them points in those standings.
Presuming Norris and Piastri hold position on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix and work together to keep everyone behind, they can go and control the race from one-two. Charles Leclerc doesn't embed himself in the middle of the papaya cars. It's all hypothetical, but with McLaren's pace in the free air, you'd expect them to take control. At the end of the day, that would've been better for the Constructors Championship as well.
But forget all of that for a second. At the end of the last lap, it became apparent that even on old, hard tyres, Leclerc was too strong for Piastri. So then, how about swapping the order? McLaren have been keen to pipe up and say they have two priorities: winning both world championships. Fair enough. Then, a last-lap swap would've helped achieve that. It wouldn't have changed the points scored in the Constructors Championship, as Carlos Sainz was no threat from behind. And it would've given Norris an extra two points. A tick in both boxes.
McLaren need to be much smarter. There was seemingly a sense of realisation in the paddock after the Grand Prix that both World Championships were now on offer, given Red Bull's lack of pace. History tells us that Red Bull could also end up struggling in Baku and Singapore. It's time for McLaren to take the (Red) bull by the horns and sort it out. Otherwise, they will be left regretting what could've been. You never know how many chances you'll get in F1, especially with a drastic rule and regulation change just around the corner in 2026...