It is quite the incredible feat we have seen throughout the Formula One season. McLaren has positioned themselves to be the fastest car on the grid. Despite being the fastest car on the grid the last couple of months the luxury car brand only has one win to show for it in Miami. How can a team make incredible strides from being one of the slowest cars on the grid coming into 2023 to now being the fastest less than halfway through 2024 and yet only sitting at the top of the podium once this year?
Strategy Kills
Mclaren Strategist Daren Stanley gave star driver Lando Norris a questionable strategy last week in Spain going for the overcut while already several seconds behind. Norris struggled to get around the slightly slower George Russell in the opening stages however, going as long as Norris did on the first stint the only chance at winning was trying to make the traditional 2 stop strategy into a one-stop strategy. Stanley elected to just simply overcut and let Norris attempt passing on track at a circuit that is traditionally difficult to pass.
The best strategist in Formula One today Redbull’s Hannah Schmitz brought Max Verstappen on lap 17 instead of Norris coming in on lap 23, Allowing Verstappen to extend the lead on fresh tires for 5 laps. Despite the questionable strategy and the slower pit stops, Norris was able to run Verstappen down to only be 2.21 seconds behind the three-time defending World Champion.
Norris spoke about how crucial it was to finish better than Verstappen:
I don’t care what position it is. It’s the gap to first, which I care about and that was bigger today. So I’m frustrated, you know because I didn’t just lose a race to someone. I just lost it to Max and he’s the leader of the championship.
Can McLaren Get Over the Hump
McLaren has come so close multiple times in the last few races since Norris’s victory in Miami he has finished second in three of the last four races. At Imola, Norris was charging hard after Verstappen in the closing laps only to come up short. At Canada McLaren had the fastest car in the mixed conditions and had an ill-timed safety car allowing Verstappen to regain and hold the lead. Now in Spain questionable pit strategy.
These are the growing pains of a team evolving into a legitimate championship contender. Once the bugs do get worked out Mclaren will win more often. With Red Bull continuing to decline McLaren is destined to be the next dynasty in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton Gets First Podium
Finally, in Lewis Hamilton’s final season with Mercedes, he got on the podium, his first since the Mexican Grand Prix last year (13 races) the longest podium drought of his career. Hamilton started third, after being outshined on the jump by the masterful jump from his teammate George Russell going from fourth to first. However, Hamilton was able to fight his way back to the podium.
Russell was able to hold off the hard-charging LeClerc to finish fourth. The Mercedes upgrades especially with the flexing front wing. With one more round of upgrades for the Silver Arrows with identical impact, the Mercedes will be up towards the front with Verstappen and Norris.
Where’s Checo?
Red Bull’s second driver Sergio Perez has once again been nowhere to be found at the front. Perez finished nearly a full minute behind his teammate in the same car in eighth place. Since Checo signed a contract extension with Red Bull Checo has DNF’d in Canada and Monaco, leaving many Redbull fans to continue to question why.
Drivers Standings
Driver | Points |
1. Max Verstappen | 219 |
2. Lando Norris | -69 |
3. Charles LeClerc | -71 |
4. Carlos Sainz | -103 |
5. Sergio Perez | 108 |
6. Oscar Piastri | -132 |
7. George Russell | -138 |
8. Lewis Hamilton | -149 |
9. Fernando Alonso | -178 |
10. Yuki Tsunoda | -200 |
Constructors Standings
Team | Points Behind |
1. Red Bull | 330 |
2. Ferrari | -60 |
3.McLaren | -93 |
4. Mercedes | -179 |
5. Aston Martin | -272 |
6. RB | -302 |
7. Alpine | -322 |
8. HAAS | -323 |
9. Williams | -328 |
10. Kick Sauber | -330 |
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with his favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and side casts on Twitch.