The McLaren team made a significant blunder during the recent Canadian GP. The papayas gambled on rain and started the race on intermediates, but the track dried quickly and remained bone dry throughout the race. Partly due to McLaren’s mistake, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were able to move up to the podium positions. The strategy was discussed with some irony at the FIA press conference after the race.
Max Verstappen ultimately finished P3 after a thrilling battle with Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion recorded – behind race winner Kimi Antonelli – his best result ever for the Scuderia. Verstappen admitted, however, that he was able to benefit from the misstep of his competitors. “Russell retired and McLaren messed up their race with a poor strategy – that obviously works in our favor,” he emphasized.
One of the attending journalists asked the drivers what went through their minds when they saw Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri appear on rain tires. “I just thought: ‘Well done,’” Verstappen laughed mockingly. “Thank you very much.” Hamilton grinned in turn and gave two thumbs up. In the cooldown room, both former champions had already been able to analyze McLaren’s choice. “They really messed it up,” the Englishman judged. He himself chose slicks at the last moment, after the track dried quickly towards the race start. “I saw you switched quickly,” Verstappen noted.
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