Hot Topic
TEAM orders are always a controversial subject and last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix has resulted in a lot of discussion between fans about whether Lando Norris should have given up his lead, or not, to McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri.
I’m a racer and believe that your job is to go flat out for the win. I never raced to finish second to anyone, particularly my team mate, because you’re both in the same car and that becomes an important measure of your performance.
But this is also a team sport and I have always been a big supporter of teamwork, making sure the whole team is pulling together, including both drivers. All we want to ask for is equal treatment, to be treated fairly and allowed to get on with our job.
McLaren has two super quick guys driving for them, the team’s objective is to beat the competition and they want to give both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri equal opportunity to compete.
It was like this when I raced at McLaren with David Coulthard. We both received fantastic support from the team, but as soon as the qualifying session started, or the lights went out at the beginning of the race, it was down to each of us to push as hard as possible. I knew that if I out-qualified David I would be given the better race strategy, and that became an important focus.
The easiest way to avoid team orders is to beat your team mate in qualifying, secure the best strategy and deliver the best performance. Over the course of a season the quickest and most consistent driver will always deliver the best results for the team.
Last weekend in Budapest McLaren did a fantastic job, getting both cars on the front row and managing the race brilliantly. Their only problem was that the strategy, designed to protect Lando from a potential challenge from Lewis Hamilton, ended up costing Oscar the lead of the race.
In this scenario the management decided to ask Lando to move over. He did the right thing, it was a tough call, but he put the team first and that will always be remembered. However, it’s also something that Lando and Oscar will work hard to avoid in the future, and I know the team will do everything they can to avoid it happening again.
Take Note
After the narrow twists and turns of the Hungaroring the long straights and fast corners of Spa-Francorchamps could not be more different! It’s a fantastic track, brilliant to drive, with a long lap of over 7kms and that absolutely flat-out section from La Source hairpin all the way to the braking zone at the Les Combes chicane.
The microclimate in the Ardennes mountains means Spa can have any kind of weather you want, usually in the same day. Rain, sunshine, mist, fog, even snow. I have seen it all there. This weekend it looks like rain is going to make practice and qualifying very tricky. Sunshine and dry weather is forecast for Sunday, which means it will probably rain! Remember that in 2021 this race was red-flagged on lap 3 due to the conditions. Let’s hope that does not happen on Sunday, but you can be sure weather will play a role this weekend.
Mika’s Tip
After a disappointing weekend in Hungary we should normally expect Max Verstappen and Red Bull to return to the front this weekend in Spa, but I am not sure. Both McLaren and Mercedes appear to have positive momentum, and Red Bull’s performance has degraded. Max is frustrated, you can hear that in his radio communications. This will help their opposition, especially McLaren who will be looking for a back-to-back win to take them into the summer break.
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