A story of a predicted disaster — or at least a partial one. Fortunately for McLaren, if it had to happen, it was better to occur during the 100 km of the Sprint rather than in the Grand Prix itself. The collision in turn 1 initiated by Oscar Piastri, who attempted an objectively impossible move, resulted in a double retirement for both papaya-colored cars. This was inevitably a consequence, above all, of highly questionable management by the duo Andrea Stella and Zak Brown.
The so-called “papaya rules” made sense when the priority was confirming the Constructors’ Championship. Now that this goal was secured two weeks ago in Singapore, the paddock expected a sort of “free rein,” as long as both MCL39s crossed the finish line.
Singapore and the unexpected reversal
The first twist in Texas came on Thursday during the usual weekend-opening interviews, when both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completely changed their version compared to what happened at the start in Marina Bay two weeks earlier. What initially appeared to be an accidental contact — caused by understeer as Norris tried to avoid colliding with Max Verstappen — transformed into a total acceptance of fault by Piastri, who also revealed that there would be repercussions for him until the end of the season.
It is unclear what exactly this “yellow card” entails, but what is certain is that after yesterday’s incident, even the championship leader deserved a warning. Since Baku, he has been more focused on marking his teammate-rival than on the race itself, and the results of this approach are visible to all.
Max Verstappen is still behind, but catching up…
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen of Red Bull is taking advantage. From 104 points behind post-Zandvoort, he has now closed the gap to 55 points. The climb remains extremely steep for Max, but any further McLaren incidents could play into his hands. Yesterday, McLaren only lost eight points, but a potential zero on Sunday would be a costly setback to manage until Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen, with his extensive experience in championship-deciding situations, knows exactly what it means to fight for the crown in the final rounds. What will happen from here is impossible to predict, but with a reborn RB21 and McLaren’s overly “fair” driver management, the Woking team risks seriously endangering a title that was unquestionable just a month ago. Corrective action is possible — but only if implemented in time.
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