Despite having the strongest car at the British GP, McLaren once again messed up their tire strategy to fumble another potential race win. This has started to become a regular story, as the Woking outfit could have won five of the last six races, had they made some better strategy calls. However, in Silverstone, Sky Sports presenter Rachel Brookes feels that Lando Norris could have avoided their strategy mishap by being more assertive on the choice of tire for the final stint of the race.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Brookes highlighted that the McLaren in the hands of Norris was the fastest car on medium tires, per the long-run data from Friday practice. Thus, when she saw the race unfold around lap 37 as the track started drying up and drivers pitted for slick tires, she felt Norris and McLaren missed a trick to win the race.
Brookes stated, “First thing you think is get Lando in, put the mediums on. He was the quickest of anyone out there and double stack.” The Sky Sports presenter also mentioned how McLaren will have to go through this “learning curve” as they are battling for wins after a long period in F1.
“For the drivers, for Lando, he can sit there and go ‘actually I should’ve been stronger on that call. I should’ve said no, I want the mediums”, she added.
This is not the first time Norris has been urged to stamp his authority about tire strategy calls. In fact, the Briton paid the price by being adamant about wanting to stay out on slick tires at the 2021 Russian GP in Sochi.
Back then, Norris’ call backfired massively as the rain intensified. As a result, his McLaren slid out of the track and he saw the opportunity to win his maiden F1 race slip away. Thus, it is understandable why Norris would have hesitated to take such a call again.
Could Norris and McLaren have won the British GP on tire strategy?
It was a straightforward call for McLaren and Norris to put on the medium tires just like they did for Oscar Piastri. While McLaren opted to cover Hamilton and match his soft tire set, the mediums could have given Norris a better shot at chasing down the Mercedes.
As Brookes mentioned, Norris was the fastest on the medium tires as per the long-run data. On top of that, with 14-15 laps remaining in the Grand Prix, it was quite difficult for the #4 driver to go aggressive without the soft tires degrading.
Therefore, had McLaren given Norris the medium tires, he could have pushed just like Max Verstappen, who was behind him on the hards. Even Hamilton highlighted the same in the cooldown room that the medium tires could have been faster overall for Norris to catch him and perhaps even win the race.
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However, as Brookes highlighted, McLaren needs to go through this learning curve as they are “new to winning at the moment”. Thus, it will take some time for them to iron out such strategic fumbles.
Nonetheless, the Woking team will look for redemption at the Hungarian GP in Budapest in two weeks’ time. However, the Budapest track may not suit the MCL38 as much as Silverstone did, and this may reduce McLaren’s chances of winning the race.
