McLaren’s Controversial Strategy at the Japanese Grand Prix

The Japanese Grand Prix witnessed an exhilarating race, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinching victory after a fierce battle against McLaren‘s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, ‘s strategy left many questioning their tactics during the race.

The Struggle for Victory: McLaren vs Red Bull

In an unexpected turn of events, McLaren called Norris to pit on lap 19, only to instruct him to stay out moments later. This strategy didn’t yield the desired results, as failed to capitalize on both undercut and overcut opportunities.

As the race neared its end, Piastri closed the gap between himself and his teammate. He requested a chance to challenge Verstappen, but no team orders were issued.

Stella’s Explanation: A Race Decided Yesterday

After the race, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained to Sky Sports that the race was largely decided during qualifying. He stated, “The race was mostly decided yesterday. There wasn’t much action going on in the race and we ended up with the same result as qualifying.

Stella further noted that an overcut would not have benefited them. He added, “We saw that staying out would not have been faster than pitting. We saw that from [Mercedes‘] George Russell, who was fast on the hard tyres after pitting.

He explained that attacking the car ahead requires about eight-tenths of a second, and once within one second, performance drops significantly due to dirty air. Stella concluded, “Today I think it was not possible to overtake.

Piastri’s Perspective: A Matter of Track Position

Piastri also commented on the situation, admitting he “felt I had the track position.” He explained, “Yes, I think [our fate was sealed yesterday in qualifying]. The pace was good, I was very happy with that and we got close a few times. But the track position around here is so important. Yesterday was the day you win the race and [we] didn’t do a good enough job.

He further admitted, “I felt if I had the track position I could go and get Max but that is what happens when you qualify behind.