McLaren vs Verstappen: How does McLaren react to the threat?

Verstappen Becomes the Favorite, Panic at McLaren?

For the first time this season, a McLaren driver is no longer the favorite to win the Formula 1 world championship. Max Verstappen, with +150, leads the betting, followed by Oscar Piastri (+175) and Lando Norris (+200). This change of course has generated an atmosphere of anticipation in the world of motorsport.

Just three races ago, Verstappen’s odds were much higher, which underscores the speed with which he has reduced Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ standings. Red Bull and Verstappen have achieved a remarkable turnaround, and McLaren could feel pressured after a disappointing weekend at the United States Grand Prix.

The danger for me is the same as in Baku. I said very clearly in Baku that Max was in contention for the drivers’ championship. And when I say something, I mean it.

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal

Identifying the threat is one thing, but combating it is another. Since last month’s Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen has outperformed the two McLaren drivers combined and reduced his distance to Piastri by 64 points. If the same trend were applied to the last five races of the season, Verstappen would surpass Piastri and Norris to win this year’s title. The improvement in the setup and a significant update at the Italian Grand Prix have made Verstappen’s Red Bull the fastest car on the grid in recent races. Added to this is the difficulty of the McLaren drivers in maximizing the performance of their car and significant errors, such as Piastri’s crashes in qualifying and the race in Baku, which has reduced the gap in the standings. Despite Verstappen’s impressive pursuit of his fifth title, the outcome of the drivers’ championship could still be in McLaren’s hands. If both McLaren drivers outperform the defending champion in just one of the remaining five races, the task facing Verstappen becomes enormously complicated. Furthermore, McLaren believes that three of the remaining circuits (Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi) will be much more suited to the underlying strengths of their car than recent tracks.

The fact that there are five races and two sprints means we can also increase the distance with Max. That’s how I see things. I think we have good tracks ahead for our car and I think we could have exploited our car more.

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal

Stella also believes that McLaren’s performance is not as disappointing as recent results suggest. In the five races since the series returned from its summer break in Zandvoort, Piastri’s average finishing position is 6.6 and Norris’s is 6.4. Verstappen’s is 1.4. After Sunday’s race in Austin, Stella was convinced that Norris would have had the pace to match Verstappen if he hadn’t lost a position to Charles Leclerc at the start and spent the rest of the race battling the Ferrari. Piastri’s lack of performance in Austin was more difficult to explain, but Stella said that important lessons were learned on Sunday that will be applied to the next rounds. Stella also wanted to emphasize that McLaren’s disastrous sprint race, in which Piastri and Norris collided and retired, had significant repercussions for the rest of the weekend. In addition to the points lost, McLaren also missed crucial data by running the car in the shortened race format that would have unlocked more performance in qualifying and the race. What will McLaren do now?

One way to increase the chances of a McLaren driver winning the title would be for the team to fully support a single driver. Piastri would be the obvious choice based on his 14-point lead in the championship, although Norris’s better form in recent races is one of the many reasons why that decision is not clear.

After multiple questions about such a strategy over the weekend, McLaren remained firm in their belief that both drivers deserve the same opportunities. The only thing that will change that would be a driver being mathematically excluded from the title fight.

When it comes to having to decide on a driver, this will only be guided by mathematics. I remember at least 2007, 2010, in which you go to the last race and it is actually the driver who finishes third who wins the championship, but we are not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics.

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal

So, what’s McLaren’s plan to fight Verstappen? According to Stella, the answer is surprisingly simple: stay calm and keep going. In the future, McLaren will continue to work hard and the results will speak for themselves.

Lando Norris finished second in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, but he and McLaren have seen their championship advantages over Max Verstappen vanish.