Analyzing the team order controversy in Formula One racing:
In the recent Italian Grand Prix, McLaren displayed a daring strategy aimed at securing a bigger result, but it was marred by a series of pit stop errors.
The team, led by team principal Andrea Stella, had their sights set on taking a gamble on a win via race interruption, with a goal to have two McLaren cars in the lead. However, this ambitious plan was hampered by a string of mistakes in the pit stops.
McLaren's strategy in Monza was centred around their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who have been consistently swapping positions. The team had absolute faith in both drivers' abilities, a confidence that remains unwavering as long as they continue to swap places.
During the race, Piastri was running behind Charles Leclerc, with a 28.5-second gap and a downward trend. Piastri, known for his exceptional tire management, demonstrated this skill by driving on old Mediums for six laps, even while Leclerc was on new Hards.
However, McLaren's strategy took a turn for the worse when a pit stop issue caused a time loss of 28.5 seconds for the team. This mishap would have potentially cost Piastri his third place, had it occurred to him instead of Norris.
In an attempt to rectify the situation, McLaren sped up their pit stops, with Piastri's first stop clocking in at 1.91 seconds, the fastest of the year. Unfortunately, the second McLaren stop was 5.87 seconds, a likely mistake on the team's part.
Despite these setbacks, McLaren's pit stop speed has improved over the course of 2025, but at the cost of too many mistakes. Currently, 23% of McLaren's pit stops are over the error limit of 3.5 seconds, making them the worst in the field in this regard.
Stella defends the team's strategy, stating that they are pursuing team interests to maximise everything as best as possible. The bizarre team order at the end of the Italian GP, where Norris was asked to let Piastri through after a slow stop, was justified by Stella as part of this aggressive strategy.
Despite the pit stop errors, McLaren's drivers managed to hold their lead at the end of the stint, thanks to their better pace. However, it is clear that McLaren has much to improve on in terms of pit stop consistency if they are to challenge for race wins regularly.
As for the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari struggled to compete with an extreme low-downforce setup, while Max Verstappen capitalised on McLaren's misfortunes to secure a victory. The race served as a reminder of the fine line between success and failure in Formula 1, and the importance of executing a flawless strategy and pit stops.
