**”Backing Norris: McLaren’s Strategic Gamble Amidst Italian Grand Prix Drama and Red Bull’s Downfall”**

McLaren Should Support Lando Norris, But He Must Step Up

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

Support Norris

McLaren once more found themselves in the spotlight at the Italian Grand Prix, squandering yet another opportunity to secure an F1 victory.

Oscar Piastri delivered an outstanding performance at Monza, executing a bold pass on his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and subsequently building a lead of more than five seconds.

McLaren's careful strategy ended up backfiring when they chose a two-stop plan, while Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc, opted for a single stop and eventually secured a victory at their home race.

This marks the fourth missed chance for McLaren to secure a victory, following previous opportunities in Canada, Britain, and potentially Belgium, which were lost due to suboptimal strategy choices.

However, a more urgent matter for McLaren is Norris’ chase for the drivers’ championship and deciding if they should support him now.

Norris is currently trailing Max Verstappen by only 62 points in the drivers' championship with eight races left. Considering the current performance trends of both teams, the British driver has a solid opportunity to claim the title this year.

McLaren's strong performance, compared to Red Bull's struggles, should inspire the higher-ups at the Woking team to support Norris in the pursuit of this year's world title.

Following the Monza race, it seems that team leader Andrea Stella is inclined to proceed in that direction.

During a media session at Monza, where Crash.net was in attendance, he stated, “We must now recognize that winning the constructor championship is within our reach," Stella commented.

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

"Therefore, to win both championships, we must ensure that the team and Lando are in the best possible condition to compete."

Reflecting on the first lap, Piastri's actions during his close racing with Norris should not be faulted.

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

Although Piastri’s move allowed Leclerc to overtake Norris, it did not contradict the team's pre-race guidelines.

However, considering Norris has a strong chance of winning the world championship this year, it was an unnecessary gamble. The team could have easily managed this by providing clear guidelines on behavior after the first few corners before the race started.

Norris, too, deserves some criticism for his poor defense against Piastri, as he essentially left an opportunity for his teammate to overtake him.

Without question, the team must make a choice starting from the Azerbaijan event, but Norris has to prevent Piastri from having reasons (as seen in Hungary) to disrupt his championship chase.

Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Verstappen have all shown no mercy towards their teammates when necessary – Norris must now follow their example.

More than just a 'qualifying expert'

Leclerc keeps delivering impressive performances on race days in 2024, and Monza was no exception.

Despite initial complaints of being outpaced by Norris, Leclerc expertly managed his tires after the two McLarens pitted for their second stops, ultimately securing a heartfelt win.

Historically, Leclerc was frequently called a 'quali merchant' or a limited-skill driver because of his remarkable speed during qualifying sessions on Saturdays, where he often secured the pole position but then did not maintain that advantage during the race.

This year's Ferrari has improved balance and a more neutral approach to handling its tires, which has allowed Leclerc to demonstrate his top-tier skills in tire preservation during races on Sundays.

Leclerc has proven himself to be a versatile driver who is sure to challenge Hamilton significantly in the upcoming year.

Unbelievable Decline for Red Bull

Red Bull's struggles persisted at the Italian Grand Prix, with Verstappen managing just a sixth-place finish, trailing Leclerc by more than 35 seconds.

Considering their strong performance at the beginning of the season, where they led the first few races, it’s astonishing to see them now leaving a race weekend ranked as the fourth-best team.

This level of decline in performance has never been seen before.

Brawn GP’s transition from being leading race winners to a position comparable to Red Bull’s current status was primarily due to financial constraints and limited development.

Red Bull possesses the necessary resources and team members to make improvements.

Red Bull faces a concerning situation as McLaren has enhanced their vehicle through a recent upgrade at the Dutch Grand Prix. With upcoming races at tracks such as Azerbaijan and Singapore, which are anticipated to be unfavorable for the RB20, Red Bull is likely to encounter further challenges.

New Audi executive Mattia Binotto witnessed the challenges firsthand in the Sauber garage during the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

This is the debut appearance of the ex-Ferrari chief with the Hinwil team since his July announcement.

Mattia Binotto will lead Audi's Formula 1 team as the Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer, working alongside Jonathan Wheatley, who will take on the role of team principal after transitioning 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 a top 10 placement throughout 2024, and their performance at Monza was no different.

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

In an interview with Motorsport.com, Binotto stated, "We don't have the luxury to do that. Our goal is to transform this team into a winning one in the future. The only path to achieve that is by making steady progress and advancing. We need to prepare ourselves and strengthen our capabilities for what lies ahead."

"Absolutely, I believe we need to make improvements. It's crucial for our personal growth, for the team, for the brand, and for our partners. We can't be content with where we are right now."

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