Backing Lando Norris: McLaren’s Strategic Dilemma Amid Italian GP Drama and F1 Title Pursuit

McLaren should start supporting Lando Norris more, but he has to step up his game too

An analysis of the key discussions after an eventful Italian Grand Prix, centering on McLaren's hesitance to fully support Lando Norris.

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McLaren found themselves in the spotlight once more during the Italian Grand Prix, squandering yet another chance to win an F1 race.

Oscar Piastri executed an impressive performance at Monza, making a bold move to pass his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and subsequently extending his lead to more than five seconds.

McLaren's conservative tactics proved costly as they opted for a two-stop plan, while Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc, implemented a one-stop strategy and ended up clinching the victory in their home race.

This marks the fourth lost chance for McLaren to secure a win, following similar missed opportunities in Canada, Britain, and potentially Belgium, which could have been achieved with more effective strategic choices.

The urgent matter for McLaren at the moment is Norris' chase for the drivers' championship and deciding if they should support him now.

With only eight races remaining, Norris trails Max Verstappen by just 62 points in the drivers' championship. Considering the current performance trends of their teams, the British driver has a strong opportunity to secure this year's title.

McLaren's strong performance, compared to Red Bull's struggles, ought to encourage the senior management at Woking to support Norris in his pursuit of this year's world championship.

Following the race at Monza, it seems that team leader Andrea Stella is inclined to take this action.

During a media briefing at Monza, with Crash.net in attendance, he stated, "We must now recognize that not only is the constructor championship achievable," Stella commented.

"Given the current performance of our car and the difficulties Red Bull is experiencing, achieving success seems entirely feasible from a driver's perspective."

"In order to aim for both championships, it's essential to get the team and Lando ready to compete effectively."

Reflecting on the first lap, Piastri should not be faulted for his conduct during his close battle with Norris.

His move against Norris was impressive and assertive, and it would have secured him the victory at Monza if he had followed a one-stop strategy.

Even though Piastri’s maneuvers allowed Leclerc to overtake Norris, they were still in line with the team's plans before the race.

However, considering the chance that Norris could realistically become the world champion this year, it was an unnecessary gamble. This situation could have been managed by the team with straightforward pre-race guidance on behavior after the initial series of corners.

Nevertheless, Norris is not without fault for his lackluster defense against Piastri, as he essentially allowed his teammate an easy opportunity to overtake.

Clearly, the team must make a choice starting from the Azerbaijan event, but Norris must cease providing Piastri with reasons (as he did in Hungary) to disrupt his quest for the championship.

Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen have all shown no mercy toward their teammates when necessary; now it's Norris's turn to adopt the same approach.

Beyond just excelling in qualifying

Leclerc delivered another impressive performance on race day in 2024, with Monza being a prime example.

Despite his initial grievances about Norris undermining his performance, Leclerc skillfully conserved his tyres after the two McLaren cars pitted for their second stops, ultimately securing a heartfelt win in the race.

Previously, Leclerc was frequently described as a 'qualifying specialist' or someone with limited skills because of his remarkable speed during Saturday sessions, where he often secured pole position but then struggled to maintain his performance during the race.

Thanks to the improved balance and neutral handling of this year's Ferrari, Leclerc has demonstrated that he is among the top drivers on Sundays when it comes to managing tyre wear.

Leclerc has proven himself to be a versatile driver who will undoubtedly present a significant challenge to Hamilton in the upcoming year.

Red Bull's struggles persisted at the Italian Grand Prix, where Verstappen ended the race in sixth place, trailing Leclerc by more than 35 seconds.

Considering they began the season by excelling in the initial races, it's astonishing to now see them leaving a race weekend ranked as only the fourth-best team.

This kind of decline in performance has never happened before.

Brawn GP transitioned from being leading race winners to a status similar to where Red Bull currently stands, primarily due to insufficient funds and a halt in development.

Red Bull possesses the necessary resources and staff to improve the situation.

The concerning aspect for Red Bull is that McLaren has enhanced their vehicle with a recent upgrade at the Dutch Grand Prix. With upcoming races in Azerbaijan and Singapore, which are not anticipated to favor the RB20, Red Bull is likely to face further challenges.

Audi's new CEO, Mattia Binotto, witnessed the challenges firsthand while in the Sauber garage during this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

This marks the initial appearance of the ex-Ferrari chief with the Hinwil team since his announcement in July.

Binotto is set to lead Audi's Formula 1 team in the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer. He will work alongside Jonathan Wheatley, who will take on the position of team principal once he transitions from Red Bull.

The Italian faces a monumental task as Sauber sits at the bottom of the constructors’ championship standings.

Sauber has not managed to secure any top 10 finishes in the 2024 season, and their performance at Monza continued this trend.

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu occupied the last positions on the grid, with their team being notably the slowest during the race.

Binotto stated to Motorsport.com, "It is beyond our means. This team needs to evolve into a victorious one in the future. The path to achieving that is by advancing and improving. We must prepare ourselves for future challenges."

"Absolutely, we definitely need to make improvements. It's crucial for us individually, for the team as a whole, for our brand, and for our partners. We simply cannot be satisfied with where we are right now."

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