McLaren F1 News: Sky Sports' Naomi Schiff takes major swipe at team after DISASTROUS Brazilian GP

McLaren

Sky Sports F1 pundit takes major McLaren swipe after DISASTROUS Brazilian GP

It was a weekend to forget in Brazil after a poor showing on race day

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 7 November 2024 11:58 Updated: 15:14

A Formula 1 pundit has taken a swipe at McLaren following a disastrous Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.

Despite winning Saturday's sprint race, Lando Norris came away from the weekend in Sao Paulo 15 points worse off to championship rival Max Verstappen than he was after the Mexican Grand Prix.

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Verstappen managed to storm to main race victory, despite starting the grand prix down in 17th, whilst at McLaren, a strategy error and a couple of driver errors meant that Norris could only finish sixth.

It means that Verstappen now leads Norris by 62 points with just three races of the thrilling 2024 season left and can clinch the drivers' championship next time out in Las Vegas.

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were in a battle for the drivers' championship

Max Verstappen could become a four-time champion in Las Vegas

McLaren's spluttering title challenge

In the constructors' championship, McLaren have a chance of lifting their first team title since 1998, currently leading Ferrari by 36 points.

However, a Brazilian GP in which Norris finished sixth and team-mate Oscar Piastri finished down in eighth hampered their chances in that particular battle with Red Bull and Ferrari as well, making it a disastrous weekend all-round for the papaya-coloured team.

After the race, Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff criticised McLaren for leaving points on the table in Sao Paulo, even suggesting that their inability to get their strategy right throughout the season has led to their now inevitable drivers' championship defeat.

Naomi Schiff believes McLaren have left points on the table throughout the season

"It just feels like they've left some points on the table," Schiff told Sky Sports after the race. "It hasn't been the first time this season they've done that.

"Whether that's coming from the driver in the seat or the pit wall, it feels like collectively they haven't been able to dot their i's and cross their t's completely as a whole this season.

"Lando is a great driver but he's up against the best in the world. Max rarely makes mistakes and the team as well."

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Max Verstappen Mercedes McLaren Lando Norris Brazilian Grand Prix