McLaren dominated on Saturday as they locked out the front row in qualifying at the Australian GP. However, due to the dynamic conditions for the race, there were questions over whether they could continue their dominance on race day. Last season, McLaren struggled in wet conditions, like at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
However, once the rain hit, the Papaya team were still the fastest on track. It wasn’t until Oscar Piastri spun at the penultimate corner once the rain hit again towards the final laps that McLaren threw away the one-two finish. The Woking-based team have the fastest car on the grid, but could they trip over themselves?
McLaren’s Papaya Rules in effect?
During the opening stint once the DRS was activated, McLaren were dithering if their drivers should race each other. They had a 15-second gap to third placed Max Verstappen so had no threat from behind. However, once they overlapped the two Haas cars, ‘Papaya rules’ came into effect. They were free to race. This led to Piastri chasing Norris down and making a mistake, which could easily have led to him spinning off in the gravel.
This happened last term with McLaren when the drivers were free to race. In Italy, Piastri made a daring move on his teammate, which cost Norris the win. Those extra points could prove costly in the championship battle. And while the pair are fighting, Max Verstappen will be right on their heels.
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Verstappen has a lot of experience chasing down title rivals, as shown during the 2021 season. So, while the McLaren duo are squabbling for the title, the Dutchman is always within reach. In Australia, Max was miles off the pace. However, he ended up being just under a second behind Norris come the chequered flag.
Norris is wary of this issue, saying after the race: “It was amazing, a top race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially the last two laps – it was a little bit stressful, not going to lie. Dealing with the pressure, dealing with Max, with Oscar behind me. I was pushing the whole way through”
Despite not having the fastest car, Verstappen will always be a threat. For most of last season, the four-time world champion didn’t have the best machinery but was still able to outperform his car and win the Drivers’ Championship. Mclaren need to be wary of him while fighting amongst themselves.
McLaren looks to have learnt from previous strategic mistakes during the Australian GP
During the last season, McLaren made many strategic errors while racing in dynamic conditions. In Canada, they pitted Norris too late onto slick tyres, letting Verstappen take the lead and win the race. In Britain, they boxed Norris a lap too late and onto the wrong tyre, costing him the win. However, they failed to make any strategic errors in Australia.
Norris was complimentary of the team, saying: “We got it wrong a lot last year, so I guess we learned from our mistakes – we lost out in Silverstone and Canada in similar conditions.”
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If McLaren is going to have one of their drivers win the championship, they need to learn from last season’s errors. The Papaya team had not battled at the top end of the grid for ten seasons, so last year was a learning curve. If they can get their end right, they have the drivers able to compete for titles. This season could be McLaren’s for the taking.
