SilviuAgo wrote: ↑22 Sep 2024, 19:09
By putting Leclerc there your post lost everything you wanted to point. You already forgot Leclerc masterclass 2022 when he did all the possible mistakes in the world (spin at Imola, crash at Paul Ricard, chaos in Monaco due to pitwall, losing P2 in Suzuka in the last corner to Perez etc etc)?
If you forgot, there is something to remember:
https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-refle ... es-in-2022
https://www.racefans.net/2022/10/21/lec ... s-in-2022/
So maybe McLaren is in the same position now, having a very good car but doing strategy errors (like in Silverstone or Monza) or driver couldn't extract all the car potential (Imola or Spain).
I am very happy where McLaren is, where Lando is, how Oscar is performing and like me are a lot of McLaren fans. Taking the positive of a 2024 that didn't start well and looking for 2025 with more than optimism. Cheers!
Comparing Leclerc 2022 to Norris in 2024 is not really the comparison you think it is. Ferrari and Red Bull alternated who was the quickest all throughout the first half of 2022. Let's look at the notable events.
Bahrain: Pole. Absolutely schooled Max in cars that were pretty much equal.
Saudi Arabia: Outqualifies Max. Extremely close race in equal cars
Australia: Grand Chelem
Imola: Real mistake, still finished P4 (I think?)
Spain: Pole. Engine blows up in race he's leading by 10 seconds.
Monaco: Arguably the most dominant pole of the decade, leads comfortably until Ferrari makes the most ridiculous strategy mistake I've ever seen.
Baku: Pole. Engine blows up while leading the race by some 10 seconds. Realistically would finish P1 or P2.
Canada: Engine penalty due to aforementioned engine explosions. Excellent P20 to P5 recovery drive.
Austria: (Would be) Dominant win in a car that was slightly faster than Red Bull. Throttle gets stuck in the last 5 or so laps. Still manages to win by a slim margin.
Silverstone: Would have been a dominant win a car that was marginally faster than the Red Bull and Mercedes. Utterly dominates Sainz despite having a damaged front wing. Late safety car where everyone except Leclerc pits due to Ferrari stupidity. Still manages to keep Hamilton and Perez behind for several laps and finishes P4 within a few seconds of them.
Paul Ricard: Pole. Genuine mistake when pushing on an in-lap in a car that was almost equal to Red Bull. Really terrible mistake, but at least understandable that he was pushing like an animal after the ridiculous bad luck he had faced thoughout the entire season.
Spa: TD39, car completely crippled and incapable of winning anything due to absolutely horrid race pace and tyre wear. Still manages several more poles and holds on to P2 in the WDC despite the car being absolutely terrible.
Leclerc made 2 mistakes while the 2022 Ferrari was competitive and was facing absolutely rotten luck. Would still have gone into the summer break comfortably in the lead if not for the 2 engine failures and Ferrari actively sabotaging him with their strategy calls. He lost probably 2 races he could have won due to his own mistakes, with one of them being Saudi Arabia, which was VERY close and still a great performance.
Norris isn't anywhere near as good as Leclerc was in 2022. He has lost wins he should have secured in: Monza, Spa, Austria, Imola, Monaco, Hungary, Baku.