McLaren has been pretty clear all season that there is a process to go through in learning to win again in Formula 1.
It is a new world fighting at the front, and it often puts you in situations where mistakes are exposed, or things can get pretty uncomfortable when some tough decisions have to be made.
There is a process to go through to become the best, as McLaren CEO Zak Brown readily admits.
“I always tell everyone at the factory, mistakes are okay, just don’t make the same one twice,” he said. “Learn from mistakes, because when you learn from them, you actually get better.”
So as McLaren reflects on its Hungarian GP 1-2, there will be some conflicting thoughts about everything that played out.
On the one hand, a look at the strategy considerations that prompted it to hand Lando Norris the critical undercut which triggered the team orders situation shows exactly why it did the right thing.
Reacting in the way it did, covering off the different threats from Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to its two cars, it minimised the risk of losing track position or being exposed at the end.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, leads Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar
But equally, the way things played out between pit wall and drivers was certainly not ideal – and created a situation where the team made life difficult for itself.
And it is a situation where perhaps both drivers may feel that things could have been done better for them.
On the one hand, the way in which Oscar Piastri’s run to a maiden F1 win got overshadowed by it appearing to be gifted was certainly not ideal.
As Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur reflected afterwards: “I can perfectly understand that for Piastri, it’s a bit harsh. He’s leading the race, he’s doing a good job, and your team-mate is doing the undercut on you. It’s a bit harsh.”
The way the radio communication with Norris played out too, as the messages to him became ever more emotional to remind him of his duties, also hinted that perhaps there was not total faith he would see through in the request to let Piastri past.
It also put Norris in a difficult position in having to sacrifice what would have been a certain win.
Racing rules
When it comes to its post-race review of things, McLaren will probably conclude that ultimately it did the right thing but potentially it could have been done in a better way.
Perhaps a more robust action plan agreed in advance, clearer lines of communication, and a more clinical handling of things on the fly are all things that can be improved to prevent repeat scenarios playing out in a similar fashion.
But again, this circles back to the learning process – and the only way to understand how to deal best with what it faced in Hungary is by actually having gone through it.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff well understands the challenges that come from handling drivers who are battling for race wins and potentially the world championship – having been there with Lewis Hamilton and his team-mates Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas.
He reckons that where McLaren is right now, with a benchmark car and two drivers both capable of winning, meant it would now likely have to do something that Mercedes has implemented previously: clear and agreed racing rules.
“You can only manage the situations when you actually run into it, and you find yourself exposed,” said Wolff. “That is the first time that it happened to them.
“We only learned from our experiences, in how we can manage a situation where two cars, two drivers can win in the same team, and you like to collect points without giving up a drivers’ championship. I am sure they are going to sit down and come up with something.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“We came up, back in the day, first with the rules of engagement and then we didn’t want to call it rules anymore, so we called it racing intent. I am sure there is going to be a paper soon that is going to come out.
“I have no doubt that Andrea and Zak have very strong leadership and it is about defining that framework, and what is happening in each of those possible situations.”
Time for a number one?
The other decision that McLaren will need to make, especially if the driver’s championship fight gets closer, is whether or not to throw all its weight behind Norris to maximise the chances of beating Max Verstappen.
Up until now, McLaren has treated Norris and Piastri equally, and the 40-point gap between them in the standings is probably not big enough to make it an easy decision to throw things all one way.
But if McLaren’s march continues, and the 76-point gap between Norris and Verstappen narrows considerably, then it will have to seriously consider a rethink.
It is something that McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admits is on the radar – although he thinks the prompt for it may not be him pulling the trigger.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“I think when you have Oscar and Lando, we are in the lucky enough position that we don’t really need to decide who is a number one driver,” he said on Sunday night in Hungary.
“It [electing a number one] is a way of simplifying things for some people like myself, and is a way to frustrate the entire team, the ambition, and the way we go racing which is deep in our ethos – which [is] we race fair.
“If one of the two drivers gains or merit a result, this is protected.
“If in the last couple of races there’s a strong championship interest for one of the two drivers, we may revise this.
“But what I’m expecting is that the other driver comes to me and says, ‘If you need my help with the other driver, because he is in the championship competition, I’m available.’ I think you build this ethos if you manage days like today in a fair way, like I think we have done.”
Additional reporting by Charles Bradley and Alex Kalinauckas
