Formula 1: McLaren in FairPlay-pliers: Power snacks Verstappen?

Max Verstappen laughed in his Red Bull about the new team order affair at the great rival McLaren. The Formula 1 world champion made it clear a little later, instead of the World Cup leading Oscar Piatri, to an instruction on the exchange of space: “Then I would not have done that.” The reporter did not even have to finish the question about the controversial stable command.

If beneficial Lando Norris will get his first world championship this year, he has to send “a check with many zeros” to his McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, the British “Daily Mail” wrote after the amazing favor at the Italy race in Monza.

Command from the pit wall

What happened? Piatri was in third place behind Verstappen and Norris when he was called into the box to change the tire. Already then there were concerns about the World Cup second. With an earlier change of tire, a pursuer can often get out of a lead that is enough to stay in front if the competitor comes back on the track with new tires.

The command stand calmed Norris, who had been stopped a week earlier in Zandvoort by a defect in the car when Piatri was won: “That won’t happen.” But because of a messed up stop, Norris joined Piatri. And then the request from the box came to the Australian to leave Norris.

Despite all the subsequent fairness assets and previous agreements, Piatri, who is managed by Sebastian Vettel’s former team rival Mark Webber, reacted with a clear incomprehension in the car: “We said that a slow pit stop belongs to the racing. I don’t really understand what has changed now.”

But he obeyed and left Norris, who reduced the gap in the classification in front of the last eight Grand Prix to 31 points on Piatri. “We are not idiots,” emphasized the 25 -year -old Brit.

Credo of the racing team is that Piatri and Norris hunting the World Cup title alone on the route in the fight man against man – or better car against car. “You can have a slow stop, you can have a mistake yourself, the engine can go up or there is another defect – this is racing,” said his view.

What role the “rebirth” of Red Bull could play

Ex-world champion Nico Rosberg at Sky described the situation as “internally suffering”. During his years with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, he gained plenty of experience what a stable duel means around the World Cup title – and how it can degenerate. The Swiss “Blick” stamped the events in the final phase of the entertaining race in Monza Kurzum as a “scandalous McLaren team in the World Cup two.

The fact is that the two McLaren rivals still have a calming lead over the 27-year-old Dutch despite the triumphal return of defending champion and four-time world champion Verstappen.

On Piatri, 94 points are missing. So a lot would have to happen so that Verstappen gets really close. Even if Red Bull with the “rebirth” (motorsport consultant Helmut Marko) in the royal park should be more victorious again, the two McLaren would have to weaken or pat several times. Or push others between Verstappen and the McLarens.

McLaren risk: a crash by the World Cup hunter

But: is there a danger? Piatri and Norris should carry it out on the route. Both fight for their premiere title. Both, especially Norris, are still quite young and already showed nerves. In Canada, Norris Piatri drove into the car and retired. Until then, the two had done a tough duel.

“We are not about number one or two. We have two great drivers who are able to drive the championship,” team boss Stella emphasized after Monza’s overtaking controversy.

Because of the painting of the car, the “papaya rules” like to speak: “At McLaren, we drive in the way we think it is as a fair sports men.” It is quite possible that Verstappen can have fun here more often this year.