McLaren’s 2025 season has been undoubtedly fantastic so far: 11 victories, 8 pole positions, 24 podium finishes, and a staggering 299-point lead over the second-placed team—Ferrari—in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
Given such a clear technical superiority, one could reasonably say that the Woking-based team is winning with ease. However, at times it almost seems as if the team is complicating its own life…
The paradoxical Sunday for Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified second and third respectively for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
At the lights going out, inexplicably, the British driver was overtaken by George Russell’s Mercedes and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin.
From that moment on, Norris’s chances of winning appeared compromised—until his part of the pit wall devised a bold single pit-stop strategy.
In hindsight, this strategy turned out to be the winning move, as Oscar Piastri was unable to overtake his teammate towards the race’s end—even coming dangerously close to causing a collision that could have ruined both of their races.
After all, it’s well known that the Hungaroring circuit does not particularly favor overtaking. That was precisely why Norris had to do something different in his bid for victory.
Paradoxically, his terrible decision to take the inside line at turn 1 forced his engineers to find a creative solution. However, this solution was never even offered to the other driver on the team.
The great luxury of McLaren
In Hungary, the team led by Andrea Stella, the team principal, and Zak Brown, the CEO, objectively appeared somewhat disunited. Or rather, it was clear they were not putting Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris on the same footing.
Considering that the Drivers’ Championship will likely be decided within McLaren itself, the team has essentially split into two factions. This is precisely the luxury the Woking outfit can afford, given their massive advantage in the Constructors’ standings: rather than giving unified instructions and winning every race easily, they allow Piastri and Norris to fight freely—even at the risk of a collision and both drivers retiring from the race.
One final note (directed at Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes): fans should be grateful that the dominant car belongs to a team whose two drivers are extremely competitive with each other; otherwise, both championships would already be decided months ago.
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