McLaren has declared that Formula 1 is not a “coalition championship” as RB nicked Lando Norris’ fastest lap in the Singapore Grand Prix to help sister team Red Bull.
A bit different situation as this benefitted Ferrari as well: September 17, 2023, Singapore: Sainz (Ferrari) kept Norris (Zak’s McLaren) within DRS range which allowed Norris to defend against Hamilton better.
That’s a lot different, Sainz did this not to help McLaren, but simply to keep Hamilton - who had fresh soft tires - far away from him. Helping Lando here was just self interest.
Stopping RIC just to take the fastest lap away from McLaren was very obviously not something in RBs best interest, but a clear shot at helping their mother team Red Bull.
If McLaren had a sister team they would of course never have done such a thing. Absolutely not.
Having Danny go out with a fastest lap is a valid excuse, if it even is an excuse. He’s a likeable dude and it’s not unthinkable they just wanted to send him off with something in the bag.
I don’t find “oh come on, you’d do it if you could” to be a solid defense.
McLaren doesn’t have a sister team, Red Bull does, and that sister team has made decisions on a number of occasions that have benefitted Red Bull.
Oh yeah, I agree, it’s not a good excus. I guess I just find it a tiny bit silly that McLaren are even bringing this up. Yes, it’s a point taken away from Lando, a point that could end up mattering come end of season. But, it’s also just one point. If some other team had squeezed in a fastets lap it more than likely wouldn’t have been mentioned.
And, I really don’t find it completely implausible that Racing Bulls’ primary motivation was to send Ricciardo off with a fastest lap attached to his stats, although I’m sure they considered how it would be a nice gesture to RB, as well.
That one point is what makes Norris getting all first places and fastest laps and Verstappen getting all second places the rest of the season no longer mathematically enough for Norris to win the title - by one single point.
In fairness to McLaren (and others), this has been brought up repeatedly for years. Not just now that Lando lost a point.
And championships have been won and lost by a single point, they definitely matter
Wahhhhhh but Papaya Rules! Fuck off Zak.
I consider this a racing incident. Unless there is hard evidence of collusion, which almost certainly doesn’t exist, there is no way to prove foul play. Immoral, perhaps. Cynical, absolutely. Illegal, no.
