Why McLaren's Norris-Piastri F1 MESS shows how the team must change in the future

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Hungary, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Why McLaren's Norris-Piastri MESS shows how the team must change in the future

The final stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix were littered with radio drama

Daniel Austin

Monday 22 July 2024 16:00

Had somebody told McLaren team principal Andrea Stella earlier this week that Hungary would mark his team's first one-two victory in three years, he would doubtless have presumed he would have been able to spend the evening feet up with a glass of champagne, toasting the satisfaction of perfect weekend’s work.

But, as it turned out, this was probably the least feel-good fashion in which an F1 team could earn a such commanding win.

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That is because though the McLaren was the fastest car all weekend and no rival on the grid was able to seriously challenge them in the race, a strategic misstep caused the closing laps to descend into an almighty mess which put both Oscar Piastri and especially Lando Norris into a very difficult, uncomfortable position.

Erroneously concerned that an early-pitting Lewis Hamilton could put the team’s one-two at risk in the final stint, McLaren pitted second-place Norris first to cover his compatriot and left race leader Piastri out on track.

How did McLaren continue to get it wrong after their strategy error?

What followed was a farcical show of emotional manipulation as the team put pressure on Norris to slow down and allow Piastri, now lapping slower than his colleague and unable to close the gap, through to take the debut victory he had been on target for before the team compromised his race.

Oscar Piastri took his first F1 grand prix win

“We want to let Oscar through,” said Norris’ race engineer Will Joseph over team radio. “You should have boxed him first, then,” was Norris’ reply.

The duelling between the two continued until the very final laps of the race, Joseph imploring Norris to slow down, insisting his tyres were being pushed to the limits, and making the case that Piastri morally merited the win.

“I know you’ll do the right thing,” Joseph said, before following it up with, “You’ve proven your point, now,” when Norris continued to increase his gap out front.

“Tell him to catch up, then,” was the bolshy retort from a seemingly stoic Norris.

“The way to win a championship is not by yourself,” Joseph said, appealing to logic as the team clearly grew increasingly desperate for Norris to calmly resolve the problem they had created: “You’re going to need the team, and you’re going to need Oscar.”

Eventually Norris relented with a few laps remaining, slowing down on the pit straight to allow Piastri to pass and take the win. McLaren's horrid management of the situation clearly had an impact on Piastri, who was remarkably subdued afterward for a first-time race winner, while a clearly upset Norris did his best to be magnanimous afterwards.

Norris took his time accepting his team's instruction

“It was tough,” the 24-year-old said. “I think it would be tough for anyone when you’re leading the race to give it up. I was obviously put in the position - they made me box first and gave me the chance to lead the rest and pull away.

“I think it was fair to give the position back. Oscar has done a lot for me in the past and helped me in many races. He drove a better race than I did - he got a better start. It was the right thing to do but it hurts. Especially because in the drivers’ championship every point helps. I know I’m a hell of a long way behind in the championship and I gave away seven points today.”

Whether the champions on the grid who Norris dreams of emulating – Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso – would have slowed down to pass a team-mate is extremely doubtful. The ruthless determination of all three men has rendered them all soloists rather than team players at certain crucial points in their careers.

What did Andrea Stella make of it?

But for Stella, Norris’ ultimate decision was a demonstration of the team ethic which has powered the team forwards from the back of the grid 18 months ago.

"I don't know any driver that when he is leading a race would be happy to swap position,” Stella said. “That is not the nature of a race driver. You would see me here very worried if Lando would say so. It's true for Lando that if he wants to be in a stronger position in the championship, he needs Oscar and the team.

"The reason we ended up swapping cars was we wanted to have absolutely no risk. Even with the faster car that's what can happen.

"The magic is in the team. You just need to help them realise they hold the magic. Everything is managed and led by people - they have the magic.

"None of us - the team, Lando, Oscar - can go alone. That's the message we give on Sunday mornings. With drivers you need to refresh this message. We are extremely pleased that our drivers are supporting the trajectory of McLaren, which is incredible, and for me that's the news today.

Andrea Stella's McLaren team have come under fire for their race management

What do McLaren need to learn from this?

Perhaps Norris has rightly played the long game, then, and even in this season’s championship battle he will gain more than he lost today between now and the end of the campaign by virtue of having a team and team-mate who are willing to back him when needs be.

Or maybe Norris showed a chink in his armour, a lack of cutting edge and determination which separates him from the clinical cream of the crop in Formula 1. On an individual level, the next few months will demonstrate which of the two arguments holds more weight.

For McLaren, they lessons are key: firstly, they possess two top quality drivers who are happy to make compromises and work for the good of the team in the most stressful and controversial of circumstances.

And more importantly, they have now developed a car which sets the tone on race weekends and which they can use to set their own agenda without overly worrying about those behind them.

That must be followed up with championship-leading strategy decisions and communication skills, too, if they are to avoid the kind of desperate disputes which have surely rendered Stella’s Sunday night sip of champagne far less satisfying than it should have been.

Lewis Hamilton McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Andrea Stella Hungary