Despite Lando Norris’ Heroics, Zak Brown & Co.’s Costly Slip-Up “Exposed” by Ex-Ferrari Boss

In the aftermath of the United States Grand Prix, Lando Norris lauded McLaren’s steady progress. Still, even after an exhilarating run that saw him finish in third (later promoted to P2 owing to Lewis Hamilton‘s disqualification), Norris admitted the team had its challenges. His initial stellar performance, taking the lead from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, was overtaken by Max Verstappen, who went on to clinch victory. The British driver remarked about his Austin stint, “Leading the race, I could control it a lot, but just not enough today.”

With Norris’ vivid depiction of his wheel-to-wheel battle with Hamilton, and hints about tire degradation and track conditions, we’d think that McLaren was just shy of perfection on that day. But former Ferrari manager Peter Windsor shed some intriguing insights, particularly pointing out where McLaren might have faltered.

McLaren’s overreach and the heated Texas track challenges

“They were pretty quick on the straight and over the lap on a new set of tires, they were very good,” Windsor acknowledged. “But in terms of race conditions, when it was really hot, it looks as if that the wing they had to take out of the car meant that they were taking too much, asking too much from the tires, from the car, on the slower parts of the lap, on the corners, in the braking areas, and therefore their degradation was higher.”

Whereas Mercedes, according to Windsor, played to their strengths, focusing on balance, grip, and drivability throughout the race. In a pointed observation, he remarked, “McLaren, I think that’s where they were exposed in the way they had to take some downforce out of the car and how, and the detrimental effect that had on the tires.”

As Lando alluded, the hot track might not have been in McLaren’s favor, and Windsor emphasized this, saying, “Lando said afterward, I think it would have been a cooler day, we would have been better off.” This was a strong indicator that the McLaren car was “asking too much from the tread of the tire,” resulting in significant thermal issues.

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Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, had his own set of challenges, with a brief race after an early collision. While McLaren’s efforts were commendable, Windsor’s expert take suggests there are pivotal lessons for the team. As the F1 circuit continues, it’s back to the drawing board for Zak Brown and his crew. And it might just work out!

Zak Brown eyes Red Bull for 2024

As we steer into the 2024 Formula 1 season, McLaren’s CEO, Zak Brown, is not one to shy away from setting lofty goals. He’s got Red Bull Racing squarely in his sights, saying the World Champions are “definitely beatable.” 2023 might’ve started with a few hiccups for McLaren, but boy, did they bounce back!

And if you caught the recent action at the Circuit of The Americas, you’d have seen Norris scooting up to second place, all thanks to Hamilton’s disqualification. Now, let’s chat about that spicy episode of the ‘Nailing the Apex’ podcast. Host Tim Hauraney threw the gauntlet, questioning if Red Bull was on McLaren’s radar for 2024. Brown’s response? A hearty “Oh, yeah.”

“They’re human,” Brown remarked about the Red Bull team, adding some cheeky flair to the podcast. Sure, they’ve been outstanding, with Max Verstappen steering like a dream. But Brown’s not about to be deterred. “It’s an unbelievable team. But yeah, I think they’re definitely beatable.”

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So, is 2024 the year McLaren turns the tables on Red Bull? Brown certainly thinks so, and he’s rallying the troops: “We just need to do a better job and that’s what we’re trying hard to do.”