McLaren’s team boss, Andrea Stella, finds it “peculiar” that Visa RB aimed for the fastest race lap in Singapore. The Italian seems to question the autonomy of the team and its sister team, Red Bull, as Daniel Ricciardo’s move primarily benefited Max Verstappen. As a result, McLaren is calling for a discussion about the relationship between the two RB teams.
It was a notable move at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo, who was at the back of the field, made an unexpected pit stop to snatch the fastest race lap from Lando Norris. The Australian ended up outside the top ten, resulting in the loss of a World Championship point. However, this slowed Norris’s pursuit of World Championship leader Max Verstappen.
Controversy Over Team Autonomy
Daniel Ricciardo‘s action seemed primarily aimed at assisting Visa RB’s sister team, Red Bull. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella also comes to this conclusion and therefore wants to discuss the relationship between the two teams. “I don’t know the facts. I just saw that RB was going for the fastest lap and they succeeded,” Stella tells Motorsport.com. “But to talk about sportsmanship here is not appropriate. So I think we should value it for what it is.”
Questions About Autonomy
Stella doesn’t seem to want further investigation into the fastest lap itself, but he does question whether both RB teams have acted completely autonomously with this action. “(Visa RB) scored the fastest lap and possibly as part of a longer-term conversation, we need to put the sport in a position where teams behave completely autonomously at all times, whether on the track or in the factory,” says Stella. “This is, after all, a constructors’ championship.”
“This definitely needs to be addressed,” continues the McLaren team boss. “But at no point do I now have reasons to say that RB went for the fastest lap to support Red Bull. I just find it a bit peculiar. I was a bit surprised that Visa RB’s top priority in Singapore was to drive the fastest lap of the race.”
