To make two laps to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri rocked the car towards the inside of Turn 1, and Randorris turned the corner as if nothing was different to the other laps.
Piastri was behind him, trying to close his one-stop teammates and take the victory. The lockup afterwards saw the pair approaching danger and making contact, but no touches. It was played except for a warning from Piastri race engineer Tom Stallard.
“Remember how we go to the race,” Stallard said.
This is a reference to McLaren trying to limit the level of risk that drivers will try to move against each other, and the team’s principal Andrea Stella praises the way the two drivers actually handle the situation.
“It’s always going to be very close when you have two great drivers like Rand and Oscar who win the Formula 1 Grand Prix and race in the driver’s championship,” Stella said.
“It was a solid race. It was a fair race at the same time. It was definitely within our principles. We locked up a bit with the Oscars, but at the same time, Landau left some space as he knew the Oscars were at the limits of the brakes.
“We are extremely proud of how Rand and Oscar go to the race. I think this is a great way to respect Formula 1 races. These are the values of McLaren.
“If possible, it’s going to be a problem between two McLaren drivers. Even if Ferrari is in the race for two thirds of the race (today) victory, I think there will be a very interesting and interesting final part of the season.”
McLaren had allowed the race to develop like that. Norris was stuck in fourth throughout the first stint of the race. Meanwhile, Piastri had stopped two, and at that stage his side of the garage focused on Charles Leclair appeared.
“It wasn’t clear we had enough pace to go past him and win that way, so I think we had to do something to beat Leclerc,” Piastri said of his strategy. “We tried something. Was it the right thing in the end? I don’t know, but when you’re the car behind you to take that risk, it’s always much easier.
“For Rand, there was virtually nothing to lose by trying a one-stop race, and for me it could have been a potential. I will see if we have something to do differently, but the plan before the race has always been a plan.
“In the race, I was asked about it, and it’s very difficult to know what’s going on from the cockpit.
“Can you match Rand? I think that’s the question I don’t have the answer. I think that’s the only thing. We wanted to win the race too. The best way to win the race is to try and win the race.
It was worth a try, but he still kept it clean. That’s important. Joe Portlock/Getty Images
From Norris’s perspective, the strategy card fell in his way, but the execution still had to be correct. It wasn’t luck that gave him a victory, even if he had some luck in the fact that he fell fifth in line and returned to the corner where he had to try something else to win at least a track position against George Russell.
“I think this is one of the first things I’ve won this way,” Norris said afterwards. “I haven’t won a lot of races so most situations are still new, but I think it was the first situation that worked out, with most people completely alternative strategies and giving them the opportunity to do so.
“I was able to get a safety car after a long journey in the first stint (Miami), and that kind of thing helped me from the fortune side. Today, it wasn’t really there.
“It’s a difficult strategy, but it worked. That’s the most important thing. Honestly, I didn’t really think it would work for most of that second stint, but with all the raps, I’m confident it’s going to be closer.”
Closed. Piastri’s attitude after the race suggested that he didn’t find it difficult in terms of team decision-making, and he had no concern about the message about how the two should compete with each other in the closing stages.
That’s why McLaren is walking around the walk and has been rewarded so far. We keep drivers making racing possible, and we know that this leads to controversial moments at certain times.
A proper comment from CEO Zak Brown Pre-Race suggested that two drivers are less likely to feel frustrated with how each other’s races pan out due to the openness they are being treated, and similarly, collaborations are less likely to allow them to create an environment and organize themselves on the circuit.
Perhaps the best pairing of teammates you remember these days? Zach Brown thinks so. Sam Bloxham/Getty Images
“I don’t think they’ll fall out properly… They have for each other because of the communication, trust and respect we all have,” Brown said. “I think we’re very fortunate to have the two traits we have.
“We love the challenge. We look forward to seeing them race in Austria and Silverstone. We like it. It’s not the elephant in the room. We talk about it. After meeting every Sunday morning and seeing how the qualifying progresses, they know each other’s strategies. We’re completely transparent.
“I told them both, in the window of opportunity, “Have your teammates done anything to drive you away?” ‘Never once. ‘That’s what they said.
“We’re competitive, but we don’t feel any tension. I’m sure the tension will rise as the championship is built, but like the Montreal conflict, I’m glad it’s out of the way.
“At some point I’m totally expecting to replace the paint again. I’m sure it’s not intentional. It’s going to make you get into the trouble. One guy is going to lock the wet track on the brakes… They’re going to have a race incident here at McLaren. We know that. We’re not afraid of it.
“They will never run off the track, and that’s where you fall into bad blood. They can race freely. They are racing freely. Our races have rules and we respect your teammates.
“Sitting at team debriefing, hearing about them… I laugh about some of the things I came back when I was racing.
“We’re looking forward to seeing them race. If something is bubbled, we’ll deal with it… When you look outside, when you see a fight between other teammates, you see it brewing it and see you go. If you feel something is bubbled, you’ll quickly remove the air from the balloon, but you haven’t seen it.”
Hungary was another example of how tensions seemed to not build up despite the lead cars on the track being second only to their teammates. It seems like an impossible task to keep both drivers happy for longer in a fight like this, but up until now, McLaren has stuck to that approach and made it work.
