At first blush, Sunday’s British Grand Prix appears to be like like an enormous win for McLaren. Lando Norris captured his seventh Grand Prix podium of the season with a third-place end. Oscar Piastri completed behind him in fourth place, giving the crew a 27-point haul that topped all groups at Silverstone. That chunk of factors noticed McLaren not solely achieve on Purple Bull within the Constructors’ Championship however pull to inside simply seven factors of Ferrari for P2 within the standings.
And but, Sunday might have been a lot extra for McLaren.
A sequence of technique choices in altering situations noticed McLaren flip a possible one-two end into the eventual P3 and P4 for Norris and Piastri, leaving the crew to surprise simply what might have been on Sunday at Silverstone.
Within the early phases, it appeared as if McLaren had gotten it proper. Whereas Max Verstappen powered into P3 behind the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, Norris and Piastri waited to strike sitting in fourth and fifth, respectively. As the primary batch of rain got here by, that’s when the papaya boys pounced, and inside a couple of laps, they have been operating up in first and second, with Norris forward of his teammate.
Finally, the groups confronted the essential choice concerning when to modify from slick tires to a set of intermediates, as situations on the monitor started to worsen. Lastly, McLaren introduced Norris in, however given the pit lane format at Silverstone — with every crew having simply the one pit stall — they confronted a essential choice: Do they create each drivers in and double-stack the automobiles, or do they go away one among them out for a lap on the slick tires in worsening situations?
They introduced Norris in and left Piastri out.
Whereas that labored for Norris, and he got here again out because the race chief with a three-second benefit over Hamilton, it value Piastri dearly. He wound his method round Silverstone whereas struggling to seek out sufficient grip, and after he lastly accomplished his pit cease he emerged with a set of intermediates on his MCL38, and again in sixth place behind Carlos Sainz Jr.
Up within the F1TV commentary field, Jolyon Palmer was reasonably dismayed on the choice to go away Piastri out for yet one more lap. “His race has been butchered by staying out one other lap,” acknowledged the previous F1 driver, and there was proof out there to bolster his place. Mercedes confronted the identical choice as Hamilton and Russell however executed a stable double-stack cease and each drivers got here out forward of Piastri.
Nevertheless, McLaren then caught a break, as Russell’s W15 suffered a suspected water system failure, and his retirement promoted Piastri as much as P5. He then took fourth, overtaking Sainz for the place.
Then got here the subsequent essential choice. With the laps ticking down and the monitor drying out, groups confronted the query of when to modify from the green-walled intermediate tires — which have been beginning to present vital indicators of damage — to a set of slicks. With 15 laps to go Hamilton and Verstappen each got here in for a recent set of tires, whereas McLaren left Norris out for yet one more lap.
Just like the choice with Piastri, Norris misplaced vital time on his subsequent lap on the worn intermediates, and his scenario was compounded additional by a slower-than-usual pit cease, set in movement when Norris pulled barely too far ahead in his pit field. As he lumbered out of his stall on a set of softs and tried desperately to fireplace them up, all he might do was watch Hamilton rocket by him to take the race lead.
Shortly thereafter, Norris’ hopes of a victory became a struggle to carry on for P2. Purple Bull determined to bolt on a set of onerous tires on Verstappen’s RB20, and that seemed like the best choice as Verstappen slowly gained on each Hamilton and Norris, with each British drivers working round Silverstone on smooth tires. Finally, Verstappen caught Norris and took second away from him, shuffling Norris down to 3rd the place he ultimately completed.
Goals of a McLaren one-two end had fallen away, with the Woking-based outfit compelled to accept a P3-P4 afternoon.
“And yeah, as a crew, I don’t assume we did fairly the job we must always have carried out or ok, however nonetheless pretty to be on the rostrum right here in Silverstone,” admitted Norris trackside to Jenson Button following the race.
The McLaren driver then shouldered the majority of the blame.
“You recognize, on the identical time I blame myself right this moment for not making a few of the proper choices. However, I hate it. I hate ending on this place and ever having excuses for not doing a ok job,” stated Norris, earlier than turning a bit extra optimistic. “However I’m so joyful, I’m nonetheless gonna take pleasure in it. I believe we nonetheless did so many issues proper. So many positives.”
Talking with Sky Sports activities Italy, McLaren Workforce Principal Andrea Stella conceded that there have been issues they may have carried out in another way, noting the choice to not double-stack with Piastri earlier within the race, in addition to not placing a set of mediums on Norris’ MCL38 through the closing pit cease.
Norris accomplished his trackside interview with Button on an much more optimistic observe. I’m going to come back again stronger subsequent 12 months,” stated Norris, “and take a look at once more.”
As soon as extra, so far as factors go this was nonetheless a robust outcome for McLaren, as they reduce into Purple Bull’s lead atop the Constructors’ Championship standings, and pulled inside single digits of Ferrari for P2.
However it might have been extra for them.
A lot extra.
And there could be a couple of stressed nights in Woking earlier than the grid roars again to life in Hungary.
