McLaren naturally deserves a huge amount of credit for the way it has developed its car over the past year, but it still needs to learn how to win races from the pit wall. Victory was not in doubt on Sunday, but a certain inexperience was evident in its approach. The team has experience, yes, but not in winning races.
It’s difficult to stay calm and it’s easy to get emotional on the pit wall. A competitive team needs someone who can take decisions calmly. I don’t think McLaren has that at the moment and is perhaps too reliant on the two drivers’ race engineers. Their decisions and communication need to be clearer and sometimes more forceful.
McLaren cost Norris money but protected the team’s confidence
What McLaren should have done is told Norris in advance (and not just Piastri) why they were going to stop the cars in that order and, most importantly, that he would have to give Piastri back his place. It was a big mistake to communicate the plan to Norris only after Piastri had stopped and come out behind. This led to about 20 laps in which the pit wall was sending increasingly stressful messages.
Had Norris known that the only reason he was taken out ahead of Piastri was to protect himself from behind, it might have been a different story. Norris lost the lead on the opening lap due to a relatively poor start, but was back in first in the final stint. He clearly didn’t want to give up that position again, especially given the wins that have eluded him in recent months.
This could create a trust issue within the team, but it is an easier situation to manage than if he didn’t bring back the win. However, it is easy to understand Norris’ frustration. If they had brought Piastri on first, Norris would have had a good chance of catching him and then stepping on the gas to pass his teammate and win. By bringing Norris on and asking him to change position, they took away his chance of winning the race on merit.
