Times of regrets in McLaren after what happened in the last races of F1. The team of Woking he collected much less than he deserved, let’s say that from Miami onwards, the day of the first victory of Lando Norristhe British have seen several victories slip away from them for one reason or another. One of these is obviously called Max Verstappenstellar on certain occasions as Imola e Barcelonaluckier in Canada also due to the imperfections of the historian team English.
The last episode, however, cannot but mark this part of the world championship in one sense or another. Spielberg all the cards were in place for us to witness a wheel-to-wheel duel until the end between Norris and the three-time world champion, but the defence “exasperated” of Dutch, and we will come back to this quote later, unfortunately prevented all of this.
One thing is certain: the McLaren she’s in great shape, MCL38 for a long time it is the strongest car on the track, even if in Austria the Red Bull RB20 seems to have made peace with the world again after the many difficulties encountered in terms of performance in the last few events. Of course, this does not mean that the Milton Keynes car had suddenly become slow, only that it was no longer dominant and finally attackable by its opponents.
F1, Norris must learn to be tough
F1. Once attached however, Verstappen he made his shoulders broad. The McLaren Of Norris it always seemed too cumbersome in the duel we saw on Sunday at Spielbergthis because Max he defended it strenuously, but going beyond the limits and reviewing a bit what happened a few years ago, when the same driver of the Red Bullstill immature, committed infractions without thinking at all about the consequences.
What made people turn up their noses Norris and to the McLarenbut also to the public commenting after the race, it was the three-wheeled defense after the contact and that put Lando on the grass. Perhaps this is the aspect that most angered a Lando who may also be right, but who still seems to us to be in an embryonic phase of his growth path. In the sense, the Englishman is still too vulnerable, emotional, situations that necessarily go against the will to become a champion in the future.
Lando he needs to change his attitude for a moment, and probably this clash with his friend (ex?) Verstappen made him open his eyes once and for all. The badass pilots of F1 they absorb certain issues and then transform them into episodes in their favor, and then maybe they give them back at a certain point, a bit like what happened in 2021 in the clash Hamilton-Maxcousin to Silverstonethen to Monza.
On the other side of the barricade, we have a Plates who quietly put a patch on a weekend that the FIA had initially ruined them with those track limits ridiculous in qualifying. The Australian, a driver of absolute value, had the misfortune of getting the Virtual Safety Car when Russell he was having trouble with his tires after the accident between Lando e Verstappenotherwise he might have had the chance to get away with it completely and take home the Gp.
F1, Andrea Stella takes a hard line with the FIA
The McLaren but it doesn’t fit: the regulations applied by the FIA in this weekend they didn’t go down well at all team principal Andrea Stella. First of all, speaking specifically about track limits, an official complaint was filed on Saturday for what happened to Platesbut the commissioners did not want to hear us. After that, the preferential treatment that according to the engineer of Orvieto he often and willingly receives his own Verstappen.
This is where the word “exasperated” comes back, because that’s what Stella he defined Maxbecause he gives the impression of never accepting an immediate overtaking, even though he knows he still has the possibility to fight back. Otherwise, as a champion, he would accept the fact that he is not superior at that moment with the means he has at his disposal, and therefore defend himself, of course, but not to throw out the opponent.
And what that Stella report, because by doing so we go back to 2021 according to the former Ferrariwhen to Max everything was allowed on several occasions. Objectively, this exit of Andrea it was very strong, but right, because putting a limit on certain situations, especially in this historical period when you are penalized even for a little fart, is necessary. At the end of the day, Verstappen he was punished with ten seconds on the race time, therefore he did not suffer any penalty because he was fifth, he remained fifth, but at the same time he threw his opponent out.
It is clear that in FIA have no idea how to handle penalties F1they are always attached to that damn book full of inane regulations without considering in the slightest what actually happens on the track. They don’t give weight to the facts, they just limit themselves to applying the rules, and that’s not good. The consequences must necessarily be considered, you can’t pretend nothing is happening. It’s a battle that seems lost regardless, but the fact that the team principal of one of the strongest teams in this regard, let him point it out, it could also give us a small glimmer of hope.
Author: Andrea Bovone
Images: McLaren Media Centre – Red Bull Content Pool
