Il Italian Grand Prix last September 1st in Monza saw Charles Leclerc and Ferrari triumph thanks to a one-stop strategy not risked by the competition, and which allowed the Monegasque to cross the finish line ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The reigning champions McLaren preferred to remain more conservative, given that there are still 2 world championships open. However, in retracing that particular weekend Oscar Piastri admitted that McLaren could also have dared not to stop for a second stop.
Monza and Leclerc's only stop, Piastri: “We shouldn't have stopped"
Since about halfway through the season, McLaren has had to change its priorities, taking into account that it could really win not only the constructors' championship but also attack Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship. A crazy race, given the huge difference in points and that perhaps was not supported much by the Woking team. After all, finding yourself fighting for the constructors' championship, which McLaren has not had since 1998, requires a great deal of commitment. In addition, with two ambitious drivers like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the team also found itself having to manage two potential winners, not choosing, at least publicly, to favor one or the other.
McLaren's indecision was followed by Ferrari's response, which, being able to afford to favor Charles Leclerc, given the exit of Carlos Sainz who is close to joining Williams, immediately set about seizing every possible opportunity. An opportunity that arrived in Monza served on a silver platter, or rather on a set of hard tires. Precisely those that brought Charles Leclerc to victory after a long and painful stint to avoid the second stop.
An ambitious strategy, born from the fact that Ferrari this year had to deal with results that were anything but satisfactory. With nothing to lose, the Reds risked a single stop, trying to bring home a victory more for pride than for the championship itself. Even McLaren, in hindsight, could have done it, as Oscar Piastri admitted to Auto Motor Und Sport: "In hindsight we shouldn't have made the second stop., because even looking at the images we were the ones with the tyres in the best condition and with the least graining.”
The fear of collapse and the surrender that led to a double podium
McLaren, which started in Monza on Pole with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the front row, did not try to differentiate the strategy with one of the two drivers to cover itself from a possible single Ferrari stop. The team paid dearly for this choice, ending up not winning with either driver. In a world championship that still sees Norris potentially fighting with Verstappen for the world championship, the move from first to third place took away several points from the English driver. Points that, with now 6 races to go, are starting to weigh more and more.
Unlike Ferrari, McLaren has therefore chosen a conservative path, as Piastri explains, to avoid having to deal with a sudden collapse that would have inevitably led to a result worse than a double podium. Thinking more in terms of the constructors' championship: "We were afraid that at the end of the race there could be a vertical collapse with consequent damage to the tyres, so we pitted again to avoid this scenario. Leclerc and Ferrari had nothing to lose, they could afford to take risks and still finish third after a second emergency stop”.
The fight at McLaren
Then there is the issue of drivers to take into account. Probably McLaren once again did not feel like privileging one or the other with a different strategy. The same Piastri agreed to support Norris, but on the condition that this does not damage his race: “I will support Norris, but not with a blank cheque. We also need to win the Constructors’ title and damaging my race to help Lando’s is not the right way to do it and I am sure the team will make the right decisions. Norris in Baku was fundamental in allowing me to win by ‘blocking’ Perez”.
Source statements: FormulaPassion
