F1
Politeness Over Performance? McLaren’s Strategy for Lando Norris Under Fire as Mercedes and Red Bull Set the Standard
McLaren criticized for being overly “courteous” as Lando Norris’s strategy choices come under review.
"Mercedes and Red Bull seem to excel at making consistently strong team decisions."
Former Formula 1 strategist Bernie Collins believes McLaren is overly "polite" with their strategic decisions for Lando Norris.
Norris lost the chance to secure a Formula 1 win when the choice to switch to soft tyres instead of medium ones allowed Lewis Hamilton to claim victory at the British Grand Prix.
Following the race, McLaren faced criticism once more regarding their strategic decisions, especially in relation to their communication with Norris.
McLaren found themselves lucky to have an extra set of medium tyres for the last segment of the race, which is the preferred compound at Silverstone.
Norris preferred to switch to soft tires upon hearing from McLaren that Hamilton had done so, instead of McLaren deciding for him despite knowing that medium tires were more effective, a fact that Oscar Piastri later confirmed.
In the most recent episode of the Sky F1 podcast, Collins expressed his belief that the McLaren pit crew exhibits excessive "hesitation."
She mentioned that Mercedes and Red Bull seem to excel at consistently making good decisions as a team.
"This situation is similar with Max and GP. The relationship with Lando Norris is still quite fresh, and it appears that the trust hasn't developed yet."
"There have been some changes in the strategy team, so they need to build more trust. Even if they had made a decision about which tire to use during the final pit stop and it turned out to be incorrect, they could review and learn from it later. However, that would have been preferable to the current uncertainty."
Collins highlighted the dynamic between Hamilton and Mercedes, mentioning that they aren't hesitant to openly criticize one another.
"Lewis is not afraid to challenge the decisions made by the pit wall," she mentioned. "Similarly, the pit wall isn't shy about reassuring Lewis, even if it means telling him he's mistaken – this is a familiar scenario. Their interactions have become more direct. It’s almost as if they’re saying, 'This is our opinion, and we believe you are incorrect.' They have no problem confronting each other."
"In the Lando-McLaren team, interactions are more courteous, with people saying things like, 'What do you think? You go ahead.' However, that approach doesn't work in Formula 1. There needs to be a firm stance where someone says, 'This is my opinion and I'm standing by it.' It requires some improvement."
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