Lando Norris has expressed doubts about McLaren`s strategy after Max Verstappen defeated him at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Throughout all 53 laps at Suzuka Circuit, Norris remained behind Verstappen, pitting in the same lap as the Red Bull driver. He came very close to overtaking Verstappen at the pit exit, which was his best opportunity to take the lead.
Despite staying within sight of Verstappen, Norris was never close enough to use DRS. Verstappen expertly managed his pace to secure his first victory of the Formula 1 season.
Norris commented, `I could see Max clearly throughout the race, but I couldn`t close the gap. In clean air, he had enough advantage to maintain his position, and he didn`t make any mistakes. He drove excellently.`
He added, `Looking back, the race outcome was largely determined by yesterday`s qualifying. Starting from a better grid position significantly increases your chances of winning.`
`Our race pace was likely slightly better, but not enough to overcome the turbulent air and get into DRS range. Overtaking here is extremely challenging.`
`We considered various strategies. Perhaps we could have been more aggressive with strategy, like an overcut or undercut. We pitted on the same lap for some reason. We will discuss these points, but it`s still a good points haul for the team and decent points for me. Naturally, I would have preferred more, but sometimes you have to accept second place.`
Anthony Davidson, commentator
`Kimi Antonelli stayed out for a long stint and switched to hard tyres, consistently outpacing the cars ahead. Mercedes demonstrated the effectiveness of extending the stint and utilizing clean air.`
`I`m puzzled why McLaren didn`t implement this with at least one of their cars. They should have exploited the potential of their impressive car on this circuit.`
`It`s evident to me that McLaren had the faster car. They have been quicker all week, particularly in long runs. At least one of their drivers should have been given the advantage of clean air. They were stuck in dirty air throughout the race.`
Stella explains why Piastri pitted first
Last season, McLaren faced a strategic dilemma at the Hungarian Grand Prix when they pitted Norris before Piastri, even though Piastri was leading.
In contrast to Hungary, Piastri didn`t undercut Norris in this race, but his pit stop almost forced Red Bull to react and bring Verstappen in.
When asked why Norris wasn`t given the undercut opportunity, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained, `We could have, but pitting Lando would have meant delaying Oscar`s pit stop, which would have been problematic for Oscar.`
`Oscar would have had to wait, which could have been an issue, especially with cars like Russell who pitted, and we needed to respond to that.`
Stella believes that extending Norris`s stint longer than Verstappen to gain a tyre advantage in the latter part of the race wouldn`t have been beneficial.
`We observed that staying out longer wouldn`t have been quicker than pitting,` he told media.
`George Russell of Mercedes demonstrated strong pace on hard tyres after his pit stop.`
`It typically requires about eight-tenths of a second advantage to attempt an overtake. Once you`re within one second of the car ahead, you experience dirty air and a performance drop. Overtaking was likely impossible today.`
Norris: Verstappen is not one to give space
Norris nearly overtook Verstappen in the pit lane after a slow Red Bull pit stop brought them close to side-by-side at the pit exit.
Verstappen maintained his lead, and Norris drove onto the grass, radioing that he was `forced off`.
Reflecting on the incident in the press conference, Norris said, `The team executed a fantastic pit stop under pressure.`
`It was our only chance to try and close the gap. I wasn`t even trying to race Max, just trying to use the extra track on the grass! I wasn`t even aware he was there! So, it`s fine. He had the position and the right to defend as he did, so fair play.`
Verstappen jokingly added, `I think the grass wasn`t very well trimmed on the right side. Lando probably noticed that and made sure it got a good cut.`
In the previous year, McLaren missed potential race wins in Montreal, Silverstone, and Sao Paulo partly due to strategic errors.
Verstappen was behind Norris in those three Grands Prix but ultimately finished ahead, winning two of those races, significantly impacting the championship points.
While Stella doesn`t explicitly admit strategic errors from McLaren, missing out on a potential third consecutive win with a fast car is a missed opportunity.
`The race was largely decided in qualifying. There wasn`t much action during the race, and the final results mirrored the qualifying order,` Stella stated.
`We scored significant points, which is again encouraging for our car`s performance, but the competition is close behind.`
Formula 1 will continue with the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend.
