While the big story in Formula One is the fact that Max Verstappen has failed to claim a grand Prix victory now for the last six race weekends, McLaren were demonstrating how inept their race craft is as a team who have not been in a title chase since Lewis Hamilton drove for the British team.

Red Bull appear to have imploded and are on their worst run now since 2019. Team boss Christian Horner claimed the team is now unable to “trust” their tools but this is no recent phenomenon. The Red Bull boss revealed the team have struggled since late 2023 with their data which is failing to predict balance and mechanical problems when the team arrive at each F1 weekend.

Yet to the rest of the world the early part of the 2024 F1 season appeared to be business as usual with Max Verstappen winning seven of the first ten Grand Prix. His last win was in Barcelona back in June despite the team introducing a raft of upgrades since – non of which are working.

 

 

 

Horner says problems stem from last season

Max Verstappen could only manage P6 in Monza and complained after the race he could not deploy full engine power but his boss suggested the problems stem from as early as last year’s United Staes Grand Prix.

“I think it’s been there for some time, I think actually really going through the data there were issues there at the beginning of the year in the characteristics,” Horner told Sky Sports.

“Others have obviously made a step and as we’ve pushed the package harder it’s exposed the issue. Even if you go back in the data there were a few races last year where we started to see this, in Austin, and so on.

“It’s a characteristic we know we have to address, and it’s full focus at the factory to do that.” Horner added the rest of the world didn’t see the problems Red Bull were experiencing “even when we were winning races by 20 seconds. 

FIA ‘exceptions’ for Colapinto F1 super license

 

 

 

McLaren lack of ‘battle’ toughness

At this time in the F1 season, the championship leaders have often turned their attention to the design of the car for the following year. Yet Red Bull are having to back track and invest valuable time and resources into clinging onto this years lead in both the constructors’ and the drivers championships.

Max’s P6 in Monza combined with Sergio’s P8 saw their lead over McLaren now cut to just eight points. This was once 99 points following the fifth round of the year in China and on the current trajectory of form McLaren are set to take the lead over Red Bull next time out.

Yet the iconic British racing mark appear to have problems of their own. Having last seriously fought for an F1 title back win 2010 when Hamilton and Button were racing for the team, McLaren look battle rusty and the signs of their years in the wilderness have come to the fore since the race in Hungary just before the summer break.

Team boss Andreas Stella was part of the Sea Todt regime which claimed six constructors and five driver titles between 1999-2004 when Michael Schumacher was in his heyday. The German ace was the team’s stated number one driver and the Scuderia threw everything into giving him the tools to win the championships.

Red Bull ‘civil war’ reignites

 

 

 

Brown makes nonsense statement

Yet the culture at McLaren is set at the top and in this case that means the relatively Johny come lately Zak Brown to Formula One. He has insisted both drivers are equal with the result Norris has dropped 10 points in three races which the team could have ensured he had by issuing orders to Oscar Piastri.

Brown claimed today that winning the constructors’ championship is an equal priory with that of winning the drivers’ title for McLaren. Yet the American speaks with a forked tongue given the lost points for Norris who is their only driver with a realistic chance of catching Verstappen, would have affected McLaren’s position – not one jot – had the team issued orders for Piastri to cede his position today to Lando Norris.

Brown spoke to Sky about the importance of the Australian being motivated and how his win in hungary over his team mate who finished second, was a confidence booster for the less experienced McLaren driver. However, Norris has been with the team now for six seasons and has earned the right to receive ‘special’ treatment and be McLaren’s champion for the drivers’ championship.

In Monza the team threw away an almost certain 1-2 due to a combination of bad planning and a failure to react quickly during the race. As Piastri barged past his team mate on lap one in turn four, this created a scenario where the McLaren pair were racing each other hard.

“Evidence” for Renault quitting F1

 

 

 

Hamilton criticises McLaren strategy

Add into the mix that the move by Oscar actually created an opportunity for Charles Leclerc to move past Norris into P2 and whatever the plaudits on offer for McLaren allowing the papaya pair to race fades into mere rhetoric when neither claimed the top step of the podium.

Lewis Hamilton was critical of McLaren’s approach and given the seven times world champion has demonstrated he knows what is required to claim F1 titles, maybe its time Zak Brown took seriously the fact that McLaren are not battle hardened and need to grow up quickly.

“Looking at the race trace, I think McLaren had the pace but they just pushed too hard. They were doing laps that were too fast early on, which killed the tyres. I guess they had planned for a two-stop,” said Hamilton.

“If they just backed off and went longer, they could have made the one-stop work. But I was getting the info of the times they were doing and there is no way you can make the tyres last at that pace.”

Verstappen reacts to Norris dominance

 

 

 

Piastri misreads tyre degradation

Of course when you let your drivers race each other, there is a risk the race strategies employed are not the optimum for the team. Had McLaren held the 1-2 from the first lap of the race, they could have controlled the pace and ensured their drivers were not destroying their tyres because they were racing each other.

Charles Leclerc played a clever game and despite losing P2 to Norris after the first round of pit stops, he was able to finish the race without coming to pit lane and losing the 25 seconds required for a second change of tyres.

Both McLaren drivers were asked if a one stop was possible and clearly for Norris running in dirty air this was never going to be an affirmative. Piastri however admitted after the racer that while his tyres had grained as did Leclerc’s, the Aussie didn’t stay out long enough for the graining to clear up as it did o the Monegasques Ferrari.

The naivety of ‘both drivers are number one’ and ‘we will let them race’ has to stop now for McLaren. Yes they are favourites for the team championship, but Norris is their only prayer for their first drivers’ title since 2008.

Hamilton “furious” at Monza

 

 

 

Norris blames Piastri

Norris blamed Piastri for being a little ‘reckless’ stating had he driven in a similar fashion and braked just “1 metre later”, the pair of them would have collided which is not what Zak Brown really wants.

With eight races weekends to go, McLaren have to nail their colours to the mast and nominate Norris just for this season as their number one driver and however Oscar feels about this is just all part of the learning experience he needs to acquire.

Lando has lost ten points in his title chase, while for McLaren their choices in Hungary and Monza have changed nothing in terms of the teams’ score. Should McLaren repeat this feat over the next sequence of Grand Prix, Lando will suffer another 25 points gone with the wind, before the final showdown in Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen are reeling as never before and its time for Brown et al to adopt a killer instinct and gif this means hurting Piastri’s feelings for a few weeks, then thats what true champions do for the cause.

Alpine ‘not for sale’ yet the reality is…

 

 

 

Wolff SHOCK admission as Marko calls out Mercedes cheating

In a shock admission, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirms McLaren as favourites as Red Bull raise suspicions over front wings – As Formula One heads into the Italian Grand Prix, the atmosphere in the paddock is one of anticipation and tension. McLaren have emerged as the team to beat at Monza, but behind the scenes there’s more to the story than just the on-track competition.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has acknowledged McLaren’s formidable position, while Red Bull Racing’s chief advisor, Dr Helmut Marko, has made striking and potentially controversial comments about the front wings of both McLaren and Mercedes. These developments add another layer of complexity to what promises to be a fascinating race weekend… READ MORE