Andrea Stella analyzes McLaren’s strategy at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Formula 1: Lando Norris wins ahead of Oscar Piastri, but was it the right call?
McLaren achieved a one-two finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Formula 1, yet a strategic “case” emerged: Lando Norris beat Oscar Piastri thanks to a single pit stop. The British driver managed his hard tires exceptionally well, carrying them all the way to the end of the race while maintaining a consistently competitive pace. Meanwhile, the Australian driver defended Charles Leclerc and made an additional pit stop but ultimately had to yield to his teammate and title rival.
In Budapest, the third contender takes the win. After the first stint, the race appeared to be in the hands of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, who were expected to continue marking each other even after their second pit stops. Meanwhile, after a cautious start that saw him slip back to fifth place, Lando Norris gambled on a single tire change. In the end, this choice paid off, allowing the British driver to close the gap on his teammate in the drivers’ championship standings.
Opposite strategies: Andrea Stella explains McLaren’s choice
Speaking to journalists, including reporters from GP-News.net, the McLaren team principal from Woking explained the decisions made during the Grand Prix: “If we had pitted Oscar earlier, he probably would have finished behind Lando. We wanted to give him enough tire advantage to overtake Leclerc but also the chance to compete with Lando. This meant aiming for an optimal two-stop strategy.”
“We didn’t want, considering Charles Leclerc, to stray too far from the best strategy, because that would have been unfair to Oscar in terms of the internal competition with Lando, which we wanted to keep fair. We asked him what his preference was, and naturally, he wanted to win the race. We thought that, with the right tire delta on Leclerc, he would still have a chance.”
“The race unfolded as we had predicted in terms of tire behavior: they lasted long enough to keep Lando on track, and in the second part, Oscar had the pace and tires to pass Leclerc. In the end, the two strategies proved to be quite equivalent.”
Was Oscar Piastri unfairly penalized by the strategy?
In the end, however, Lando Norris, who started behind the Australian, took the victory. The team principal continued: “Our basic strategy was two stops. We didn’t think a one-stop would be possible. With Oscar, we were clean, trying to pass Leclerc at the first pit stop, then extending in the second stint to have a sufficient tire delta to gain a few tenths.”
“For Lando, when we left him out on track, we still didn’t believe a one-stop was feasible. But he managed to put together very strong sectors and lap times with already used tires. So we became convinced that the one-stop strategy was becoming a valid option, but it was a discovery in the race, not an initial plan.”
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