In the initial part of the race at the Hungaroring, Piastri held the second position while Max Verstappen led the race. However, during the first round of pit stops, Piastri’s team decided to bring Norris, who was in third place, into the pits.
Norris gained an advantage with new tires, allowing him to overtake Piastri after the latter made a pit stop. Piastri, who stopped one lap later, ended up coming out of the pits behind his teammate.
While the decision to pit the second car was slightly unusual, because teams normally give the better option to their lead car, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has explained the reasoning behind its decision.
He stated that the team decided to have Norris make the first pit stop due to concerns about Lewis Hamilton potentially overtaking him from behind, making it more advantageous for the team to have the British driver stop first.
McLaren also was not anticipating that Norris’ pace on fresh rubber would be enough to overhaul Piastri, who had looked solid in the first stint.
Stella explained that when it comes to the undercut during the first pit stop, it is best to follow a natural sequence. This means prioritizing the car that is at a higher risk and then moving on to cover the other car.
“Lando’s out-lap was just super, super quick, which meant Oscar lost the position. To be honest, our approach to these situations is to think about the team first. We think as a team, and then we deal with the internal situation.”
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
Stella provided an illustration of a strategic mistake made by Ferrari during the Hungarian Grand Prix last year. The team opted to equip Charles Leclerc with slower hard tyres due to feeling pressured by Verstappen, highlighting the importance for teams to consider external factors.
He stated that it is crucial to exercise caution when facing opponents from other teams, ensuring that one does not get involved in an internal conflict that could negatively impact the entire team.
I might have already mentioned that if we observe the race from last year, perhaps the same thing occurred with the red car. Additionally, it incurred significant costs. Therefore, we aim to avoid a similar situation.
The strategy call that propelled Norris forward ultimately had little impact as Piastri’s performance significantly declined in the latter part of the race, resulting in him finishing in fifth place.
Stella disclosed that the Australian driver faced difficulties due to damage on the floor, resulting in a loss of rear downforce.
He stated that Oscar’s car had incurred damage, resulting in a loss of time from a performance perspective.
However, we believe that the decrease in rear downforce may have contributed to additional tire wear. This is one of the factors that made it difficult for him to maintain pace with Lando and the other cars approaching from behind.
McLaren suspects the kerb damage was picked up by Piastri after running over a kerb.
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