2025 McLaren F1 Team

[BMMR61]

I don't recall that comment, you may be right. My feeling at the time was Oscar went on a few non push laps as 10+ laps bottled up close behind the two cars was having an effect. Maybe some small deg to be fair, I was particularly addressing the "tyres are dead" comment, commonly used to say Oscar kills his tyres etc. The lap speeds immediately prior to his pitstop 33.5, 33.3, 33.5, 33.5, 33.6, 33.6, 33.4. It's conjecture as to whether the tyres could be brought back by easing the pace for a few laps because the pitstops got triggered. We don't know but had the impetus from Russell and co not triggered the stops, would the mediums have proved quite durable and come back to life by easing back for 3-4 laps? Antonelli's run hints that the answer could be YES!

I think we were all pretty disappointed with the way the race panned out, more than the result. It was a case of, for almost everyone other than the winner, "the race is dead"! After contemplating it all I changed my mind and came to think there wasn't a lot to be done, but definitely don't follow Max into pit lane.

[organic]

You have to be ruthless when you have the fastest car. McLaren weren't - neither in terms of their drivers' execution (can't be helped from a team perspective), nor with strategy.

They decided not to risk the possibility of losing 3rd, but also all but gave up the win in the process. If you win you gain 7 pts and net 14 pts in WDC (if you consider lando-max to be the title fight). And if you take P4 rather than P3 you lose 3 points. To me it's a relatively small risk for a good payoff. You don't take the risk if you're sure that you will maintain having the fastest car and that Verstappen will not be able to sustain his current level.. but is that a reasonable assumption?

[venkyhere]

A nice video demonstrating Norris' sharpness and Verstappen's awareness :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym_41isdim8

[Emag]

https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/10/mcl ... p-in-2027/

Big news, they finally decided to do WEC. A reflection of their commitment on the motorsport scene as well with the McLaren name taking part in pretty much every major series now. The scare of bankruptcy in 2020 seems all but gone.

[mwillems]

Just saw that and came here. I'm excited for the WEC, it's a long time coming to fully promote the brand.

[Seanspeed]

And going longer?

Well the guys behind would eventually pit and create the gaps to run in free air, at which point any of the top guys who extended their stint even longer would be losing track position.

They all pitted basically in the sweetspot.

Landos laps in dirty air were only .2s behind his opening laps on hard. How are you sure he wouldn't find the 2 tenths extra he needed to come out in front of Max after his poor stop?

Lando himself said he could have gone longer and thinks the team might have made a mistake.

Because once the gaps were cleared and the frontrunners had free air, they'd have ample pace. Running longer, as always, would not be meant to gain track position, but to position yourself as having greater race pace late in the race to attack. Which in this situation would be dumb, considering how hard it is to overtake on-track.

[Chuckjr]

Come on man. Don't throw the team under the bus. You're better than this, Lando. Good grief.

[mwillems]

Well the guys behind would eventually pit and create the gaps to run in free air, at which point any of the top guys who extended their stint even longer would be losing track position.

They all pitted basically in the sweetspot.

Landos laps in dirty air were only .2s behind his opening laps on hard. How are you sure he wouldn't find the 2 tenths extra he needed to come out in front of Max after his poor stop?

Lando himself said he could have gone longer and thinks the team might have made a mistake.

Because once the gaps were cleared and the frontrunners had free air, they'd have ample pace. Running longer, as always, would not be meant to gain track position, but to position yourself as having greater race pace late in the race to attack. Which in this situation would be dumb, considering how hard it is to overtake on-track.

Right, but before Max tyres warmed and the cleared traffic there's a chance to actually be quicker than Max and try to find the extra few tenths that would have got the lead.

Edit: My last post on the matter as we are in the new weekend.

[Emag]

Come on man. Don't throw the team under the bus. You're better than this, Lando. Good grief.
https://twitter.com/ESPNF1/status/1910410292816658635

Honestly, first time I actually like something Lando said. This is not throwing the team under the bus at all. Max practically called both Lando and Oscar incompetent. He has all the right to strike back.

[Rikhart]

Come on man. Don't throw the team under the bus. You're better than this, Lando. Good grief.
https://twitter.com/ESPNF1/status/1910410292816658635

Honestly, first time I actually like something Lando said. This is not throwing the team under the bus at all. Max practically called both Lando and Oscar incompetent. He has all the right to strike back.

How is he not, he just called his (very dominant) car crap. How do you think the guys who gave him that car feel

[mwillems]

He definitely could have worded it better, but i do think that he is being interpreted a specific way by the press to court some controversy.

He'd do well just not to respond, or to give a calmer response.

It wouldn't have been hard to say that the car is good but the difference is not big. They are the team everyone is targeting now so he needs to get used to it.

And let's face it, Max likely would get more out of it. Fair play to Lando for having a go, but this seems like mind games from Max and that Max is winning.

If it were me, I wouldn't dignify Max with a response.

[Emag]

Come on man. Don't throw the team under the bus. You're better than this, Lando. Good grief.
https://twitter.com/ESPNF1/status/1910410292816658635

Honestly, first time I actually like something Lando said. This is not throwing the team under the bus at all. Max practically called both Lando and Oscar incompetent. He has all the right to strike back.

How is he not, he just called his (very dominant) car crap. How do you think the guys who gave him that car feel

He did not call it crap. If you put words in his mouth that he did not say, then obviously you're going to think that.
Max implied the car is multiple tenths faster than what Oscar and Lando have shown by saying he would sail in the distance if he was driving the McLaren. Lando just turned it back at him by saying he would be disappointed after jumping out of the car and seeing that it's not in fact that much faster like he thinks it is. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, it's all pure speculation anyway. You don't know how Max would do at McLaren. You can make assumptions, but without him actually driving it, you will never know for sure. Max made assumptions and Lando is also making counter-assumptions, if that's a thing.

In no way is he insulting his team. He is only putting down what Max said.
But of course, Max is allowed to sh*t on every other driver on the grid publicly with no expectation of any of them talking back ...

[Cs98]

Honestly, first time I actually like something Lando said. This is not throwing the team under the bus at all. Max practically called both Lando and Oscar incompetent. He has all the right to strike back.

How is he not, he just called his (very dominant) car crap. How do you think the guys who gave him that car feel

He did not call it crap. If you put words in his mouth that he did not say, then obviously you're going to think that.
Max implied the car is multiple tenths faster than what Oscar and Lando have shown by saying he would sail in the distance if he was driving the McLaren. Lando just turned it back at him by saying he would be disappointed after jumping out of the car and seeing that it's not in fact that much faster like he thinks it is. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, it's all pure speculation anyway. You don't know how Max would do at McLaren. You can make assumptions, but without him actually driving it, you will never know for sure. Max made assumptions and Lando is also making counter-assumptions, if that's a thing.

In no way is he insulting his team. He is only putting down what Max said.
But of course, Max is allowed to sh*t on every other driver on the grid publicly with no expectation of any of them talking back ...

Yeah, because he backs up the talk.

[ali623]

He definitely could have worded it better, but i do think that he is being interpreted a specific way by the press to court some controversy.

He'd do well just not to respond, or to give a calmer response.

It wouldn't have been hard to say that the car is good but the difference is not big. They are the team everyone is targeting now so he needs to get used to it.

And let's face it, Max likely would get more out of it. Fair play to Lando for having a go, but this seems like mind games from Max and that Max is winning.

If it were me, I wouldn't dignify Max with a response.

"We've got a great car this season, and a great team behind it. Max, and anyone else can think what they like, we're just focused on ourselves and maximising every detail this year, I'm happy to let the others envy at what we have here at McLaren." or something to that extent

Praise the team and don't bite, where's the McLaren PR manager when you need them?

[Emag]

How is he not, he just called his (very dominant) car crap. How do you think the guys who gave him that car feel

He did not call it crap. If you put words in his mouth that he did not say, then obviously you're going to think that.
Max implied the car is multiple tenths faster than what Oscar and Lando have shown by saying he would sail in the distance if he was driving the McLaren. Lando just turned it back at him by saying he would be disappointed after jumping out of the car and seeing that it's not in fact that much faster like he thinks it is. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, it's all pure speculation anyway. You don't know how Max would do at McLaren. You can make assumptions, but without him actually driving it, you will never know for sure. Max made assumptions and Lando is also making counter-assumptions, if that's a thing.

In no way is he insulting his team. He is only putting down what Max said.
But of course, Max is allowed to sh*t on every other driver on the grid publicly with no expectation of any of them talking back ...

Yeah, because he backs up the talk.

So? Just because I am good at something, it doesn't give me the right to call everyone who is worse than me at that thing incompetent. That just makes one a pretentious douche.

I don't see why Lando is the bad guy here for replying to a direct insult to him and his teammate.