McLaren missed a golden opportunity to keep Max Verstappen out of the title race in Qatar. A strategic blunder under the safety car cost both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris the chance to really put pressure on the Dutchman. Verstappen took the win and overtook Piastri in the championship. The gap to World Championship leader Norris is now just 12 points. Yet, after the race, Norris strongly defended his team.
After seven laps, the safety car was deployed following a collision between Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly. This meant a free pit stop for all drivers. Useful, considering the mandatory two-stopper that Pirelli had decreed for the weekend. While Verstappen did go in, the McLaren duo stayed out, with all the consequences that entailed. Piastri and Norris had to make two stops later, Verstappen only one. The Red Bull driver won the race; Piastri and Norris finished second and fourth respectively.
Despite the costly mistake, Norris stated that McLaren simply acted on the belief that they were making the right choice. “We could have done many things differently, but we didn’t,” he responded calmly. “We did what we thought was right, nothing more. There was still a long race ahead of us, so I had to focus on other things at that moment. But probably we should have both come in under the safety car.” Norris emphasized that a stop under the safety car might not have drastically changed his race. “I would have lost ground anyway; a double stack would probably have cost me a lot of time. It’s something we’ll talk about, but I also have to trust that the team makes the right decisions. That was the case today.”
‘Just not the best day’
Despite the threat from Max Verstappen, the Brit promised not to change his approach for the season finale in Abu Dhabi. “It’s the same as every weekend: I try to beat them, they try to beat me,” he explained. “Today was no different. I can’t do anything about it; this was simply not our best day, but the series of results I had before this was great. This was just not my best weekend in terms of performance, but that’s life. Everyone has a bad weekend now and then, so I take it in stride.”
Finally, Norris quickly dismissed the suggestion that McLaren team orders – the so-called papaya rules – had anything to do with the strategic blunder. “It has nothing to do with it,” he said emphatically. “Everyone keeps thinking that, but it’s just not true. We are free to race.” According to him, Red Bull was simply sharper in Qatar. “They did better as a team by making the right decision. That’s all.”
