McLaren needed "five more laps" for Norris strategy to work
McLaren felt it needed "five more laps" for Lando Norris' two-stop strategy to pay dividends in the British Grand Prix.
Norris had looked set for another star showing at Silverstone but the team elected not to pit him during the safety car phase, with him already having made a switch to mediums a few laps beforehand.
The team hoped that a late stop for fresher rubber would pay off as rivals that had committed to pitting under the safety car would be struggling with older rubber by then, but that scenario did not play out.
In the end, Norris’ final stop to switch to hards dropped him well down the order and he was unable to make enough of a fightback to finish in the points. He came home in 11th.
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl was honest that the team had got the strategy call wrong, but said there were good reasons for having done what it did.
“For Lando, with all the data we had from the tyres that came off the cars, we thought there was a high risk to run to the end of the race,” explained Seidl.
“In the end we wanted to try to go on new hards, fresh ones, and then try to get the competition towards the end of the race. But it looks like we would have needed five more laps.”
Norris said that while it was obvious the strategy call the team made was wrong, he did not want to criticise the team for what they had done.
“We made the wrong decision under the safety car and didn’t box when we should have done,” he said. “It wasn’t gambling but hoping that a few more people would drop off in the end but it didn’t happen.
“In hindsight, the strategy was wrong but it was not something we could have known when we made the decision.
"So I still stand by the team, they did nothing wrong: we just didn’t make the right choice at the end of the day.”
Previous article
Vettel: Current frustrations "very different" to 2014
Next article
Valkyrie's British GP debut was "two fingers" to sceptics
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | British GP |
| Drivers | Lando Norris |
| Teams | McLaren |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
The Silver Arrows Story: Mercedes W09
Scuderia Ferrari Filming Day Backstage Footage
Back to Work | Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Seat Fit
F1 Explained | Mercedes Power Unit
The big questions of F1 2021 - Karun Chandhok
After an unprecedented season last year, there are plenty of questions and storylines for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign. Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok gives his verdict.
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
