McLaren criticism mounts amid suggestions of ‘playing god’ – The response to what seemed a fairly innocuous call from the McLaren team at the 2025 Formula One Italian Grand Prix has been nothing short of uproar. F1 publications around Europe have criticised the team for interfering in the race between their drivers in Monza.

As they did in Hungary last year, they called the driver who was second in the team order to pit first and cover off any undercut possibility from Charles Leclerc. The team had completed 45 of the 53 laps on the medium set of tyres in the vain hope a late safety car may bring Max Verstappen back into range.

Yet the world champion was so supreme he had not only pitted eight laps earlier but in that time had closed down the gap to the McLaren pair ahead such that even a safety car would have seen him retain the lead of the race.

 

 

 

McLaren fumble their pit stop

Oscar Piastri’s stop was a rapid 1.9 seconds while his team mate a lap later suffered from the failure a wheel gun on his front right tyre, forcing Norris to remain stationary for 5.9 seconds. Inevitably he came out behind his team mate and so the team promptly issued an order to their Australian driver to allow Lando through.

Piastri grumbled briefly that the matter of slow pit stops had been discussed previously and that is was decided the team would not intervene in such a scenario. Yet the switch occurred and Oscar had to suck up the loss of a six point swing in his favour, which was digestible given the lead over his team mate remained at 31 points.

The decision was in line with McLaren’s repeated mantra of “fairness” to its drivers, but many believe it was the thin end of the edge for the team who will now face dilemmas in situations similar in the closing run of races before Abud Dhabi.

Norris attacks Verstappen & Stewards

 

 

 

Crowd boo Lando

Norris came home second, ahead of his team mate who he had dominated throughout practice and qualifying and also in the race. But when he was called to the iconic Monza podium, the crowd booed when they heard his name announced, there first signs that McLaren’s actions would come under intense scrutiny.

Extreme examples of how this decision would apply in other racing scenarios were immediate produced including the ridiculous notion that if one car retires due to mechanical failure, the other would be ordered to stop too. Yet more complex situations are easily envisaged such as Lando Norris suffering from brake issues in China.

Question were asked as to where the line is drawn between correcting a mistake and interfering with the sporting spectacle. So far McLaren have avoided some of the disastrous PR team orders which forced the FIA for a while to ban them.

Ferrari breaking Hamilton’s record

 

 

 

When to interfere and when not?

For example, when do McLaren decide what is a slow stop. Is it anything above 3 seconds or 4? Jaap Blijleven posted on social media the following tricky potential scenario. “Last race, equal on points, Oscar leading Lando second 3rd car close behind Lando. McLaren screws up Oscar’s pitstop. Now Lando leading, car in between and Oscar 3rd. 10 laps to go….what’s the plan?”

Then of course there was the situation at this year’s British Grand Prix where Oscar Piastri was penalised ten seconds by the stewards, which the team told him they believed to be the wring decision. This gave Norris the lead of the race and the eventual win, but the response to Piastri’s question about switching the pair around this time was treated with silence.

Of course the title fight between the McLaren drivers was brutally dealt a blow in Zandvoort, when Norris failed to finish due to his McLaren springing an oil leak. And to some extent even fans critical of McLaren’s decision appear to be content the result in Monza at least kept the hope of a battle between them alive.

Vertsappen hails Mekies Red Bull changes

 

 

 

Micromanagement by McLaren

Conspiracy theories now abound over McLaren’s “papaya rules” with some suggesting the team brought Piastri in first – not to cover off a Leclerc undercut – but to prevent him taking advantage should a safety car be deployed whilst Norris was switching tyres. Even more micromanagement by McLaren is the cry.

In Hungary, Lando Norris was allowed to attempt the one stop race strategy despite his team mate being put onto a two stopper earlier by the team. The result a Lando win in Budapest whilst Piastri rued the strategy call made on his behalf.

Of course in the last era where two team mates were exclusively fighting for the F1 drivers’ title, Mercedes and Toto Wolff handled things differently. The driver ahead of his team mate would stop for the first change of tyres and neither Rosberg nor Hamilton were allowed to opt for different race strategies – it was controlled by the team.

Doneicali proved wrong by Italian GP

 

 

 

Norris deferred to his team mate

Toto Wolff has since admitted he wold handle the bitter rivalry in the garage from 2016 differently now – but has never explained how this should have been done.

The beauty of the purity of a sporting occasion is in the drama created by unexpected circumstances. Yet fans and pundits alike are accusing McLaren of taking out this variable and playing god in terms of what they believe is fair and what is unreasonable. Of course switching their cars for P2 and P3 is not such a drastic affair, but at Silverstone forcing Norris to relinquish the win would have created uproar.

Lost in all the noise over McLaren’s team order is the fact that Lando Norris was offered the first stop where then worked properly, but he suggested the team pit Piastri to cover off any problems with Charles Leclerc. Had the Aussie taken the second stop and the gun failed as it did for Norris, Leclerc was a mere 4.333 seconds behind the Australian as it was after his pit stop but the four second delay together with another lap of Leclerc on fresher tyres would have seen Piastri lose out on his podium finish.

Unfortunately McLaren PR was not quick enough to point this fact out, otherwise the persistent criticism they now face would have been much more muted.

 

 

Italian media predict Leclerc Ferrari departure

Charles Leclerc was seen as a rising Formula One star when after just a single season with Sauber he was recruited to the most iconic of Formula One teams, clearly a dream start for the Monegasque to his F1 career.  Yet now in his seventh season with the Maranello squad, all the history and success the Scuderia have had is not falling in his direction.

2025 was to be a year of promises fulfilled given after the summer break last year whilst Lando Norris hunted down Max Verstappen it was Leclerc who scored more points than anyone between Zandvoort and Abu Dhabi. Yet for some inexcusable reason, in the final year of the current car design regulations Ferrari decided not to evolve but to revolutionise their F1 challenger building the SF-25 which was “99% new” according to team boss Fred Vasseur.

The most visible change compared to its predecessor was the switch from pushrod to pull rod front suspension, the justification for which was to “clean up the airflow around the car” which would also provide “greater scope for further aero development, which had pretty much been exhausted with the previous iteration,”said Loic Serra – the teams technical director…. READ MORE