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Horner Questions McLaren’s Strategy Amid Team Orders Drama at Hungarian Grand Prix
Christian Horner believes McLaren unnecessarily complicated their situation with their handling of team orders
"According to him, there was no need for McLaren to entangle themselves in such complexity, given their relatively stable position…"
Christian Horner found himself perplexed by McLaren's strategy to bring Lando Norris into the pits before Oscar Piastri, a move that sparked the controversy surrounding team orders in the closing stages of the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren led the field at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Piastri outpacing Norris.
In the second set of pit stops, McLaren chose to bring Norris in before anyone else to stay ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Two circuits following, Piastri pitted, conceding his spot on the track to his colleague.
McLaren promised that Norris would relinquish the position, but it wasn’t until the final few laps that the British driver slowed down.
McLaren repeatedly broadcasted instructions over the team radio, prompting Norris to reduce his speed until ultimately, Piastri was allowed to take the lead in the race.
Following the race in Hungary, with Crash.net present in the paddock, Horner shared his perspective on the controversy surrounding team orders at McLaren.
"They unnecessarily complicated their situation, given they were already in a favorable position. Opting to pit Lando two laps sooner than typically done—where the lead car is usually pitted first—resulted in them having to put in extra effort to rectify that decision towards the race's end," he explained.
"Clearly, it's their own affair, but maybe there was no need for them to generate that issue."
He noted, "There's always a tension between what the drivers want and what benefits the team."
During a different conversation on Sky, Ted Kravitz brought up the notorious 'Multi 21' incident, where Red Bull faced a controversy over team orders because Sebastian Vettel ignored instructions and passed his teammate Mark Webber.
Kravitz remarked to Horner, "Today, there was no talk about multi-21, was there? That's what was happening, right? Lando was making an effort, attempting to demonstrate he was akin to Seb… unwilling to back down."
Horner responded, saying, “It's a tricky situation. I was puzzled as to why they didn't offer Oscar the initial pit stop, which led them into this dilemma. They had talked about it before the race, and Lando simply followed their instructions.”
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