The frustration of the McLaren team at their recent “near misses” at victory, according to team principal Andrea Stella, is “good news” because it illustrates their growth over the previous 12 months.
With a massive array of improvements introduced to the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren went from being a lower middle team to propelling itself towards the head of the field at this time last season. They have built on that platform by consistently challenging Red Bull for race victories this season.
Race win near misses are “good news” for the McLaren management as they consider the team’s future.
Following his late impact with Max Verstappen in Austria, the team decided to put Lando Norris on soft tires for his final run at Silverstone rather than new ones. This resulted in a lengthy stop after Norris pitted from the lead after he skidded into his pit box, giving Lewis Hamilton the lead.
Oscar Piastri, a teammate, said he should have also pushed for a double-stack pit stop strategy because the extra lap he missed due to changing circumstances dropped him down the pack at Silverstone. Despite this, he finished fourth on the road, with Norris third.
“Well, the near misses are a positive development in the first place, right? This type of near-miss incident wasn’t experienced until a year and a half ago, Stella said to reporters at Silverstone, including PlanetF1.com.
Therefore, if we don’t begin with the positive aspects of the construction site, we will be the ones to build and destroy, build and destroy, and never rise above the ground.
“Therefore, this is everyone’s responsibility. Although Lando and Oscar are exempt from some of the calls that we refer to as missed opportunities, it is our collective duty as drivers to continue building, and on the days when we do have a missed opportunity, that is the best time to do so.
We are competing against teams that have won numerous championships, and they have a very steady roster; they even have experience competing at the highest levels in unpredictable weather, etc.
We consider ourselves to be more of a “under construction” site from this perspective, and we accept these close calls, but the chance will present itself shortly.