Source: REUTERS/MANAMI YAMADA
[Saba Sports News] After the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris openly questioned the team’s conservative strategy, saying that McLaren could have ended Max Verstappen’s dominance but lacked a winner’s mentality, leading to the championship trophy being handed over. The key turning point in the race occurred on the 22nd lap when Verstappen made a pit stop first, and McLaren’s strategy group ordered Norris to stay on the track, then let Piastri follow the Red Bull pit stop, completely dismantling the orange team’s tactical advantage. Technical analysis shows that McLaren’s hesitation stemmed from a misjudgment of the hard tire performance. In fact, its long-distance speed was 0.2 seconds per lap faster than expected, which means that if the original plan of one stop and late pit stop was executed, it would have been possible to replicate Verstappen’s comeback script in 2022. More ironically, teammate Piastri admitted after the race that his car was actually faster than the data showed. The hidden speeds of the two drivers were ultimately sealed by the team’s conservative strategy.