#also i didn't reread what i wrote... too busy getting anxious for the race

[aoimeru14]

Yes! Singapore, and Monza actually, were easy P1-P2 opportunities with the right management... Same with Hungary... We could have had a fair race If only they didn't decide to victim blaming one driver and embarrass the other (on his maiden win) for an error THEY committed.

Still sad (and angry) about all those missed opportunities...

I think that part of the problem (with the poor management) lies in the fact that McLaren didn't start this season thinking they could win any championship... They sort of found themselves unexpectedly consistently on the front and weren't prepared for it. They still aren't prepared for it. (And are not prepared for their drivers new demands)

Also... Sadly, i think that they only accepted to help Norris now with the WDC just because the team principal/management team are in a feud with Redbull... (Just that... And maybe that's why Lando doesn't what to win it anymore... He knows they are not doing it because they believe in him. Maybe I'm projecting. Maybe not)

(also, sacrificing Oscar for a feud between teams would be really stupid)

(like, both of the drivers inevitably will end this year feeling used)

Speaking of WDC in a more "healthy way", let's remember that all the front row teams have been really vocal about Norris chances since this spring. Toto, Vasseur and Horner were really confused by Stella neglecting Lando... If McLaren really cared for their drivers (and/or wanted to seize all the opportunities on the plate) they would have made plans since then. How comes that McLaren is suddenly interested NOW? Sus. (Maybe I'm biased, but they really did him, and Oscar, dirty by doing nothing at all).

McLaren, to me, has set clear goals (WCC and keeping the feud with Redbull) too late and has only toxic/bad ideas on how to obtain them.

Also, they seem really cautious with letting the boys race and have them/us have fun... Like, I get that they are really scared for the car (understandable. WCC is on the line. I also shout "CAREFUL WITH THE CAR!" when they overtake each other, don't get me wrong) but, at the end of the day, I suspect that the real reason they don't let them race is because they don't trust them as "team players" when winning is a concrete possibility for both. (Like, they see them as selfish young boys/athletes).

My suspect was, somehow, slightly confirmed by Andrea Stella's post Sprint Race interview (Interlagos) with Sky Sport Italia. He said that his main goal is to make sure that both of the drivers learn to become team players and not just good drivers. (If I can find a translated version I will edit it here, if you want) So, McLaren, to me, just wants them to comply and just do what they are told (like when they said that WDC was not a priority or when they want to do bids for the team just to continue the feud with Redbull).

Well, of course they are under contract (as you also said) so it is normal that they have to do what their team orders them to do. (Even if they don't like it). And yes, I hate that some brainless fans (or just young fans that don't know what having a contract, or a job, means) blame the driver for something like that.

But it makes me think, what about the drivers? Will they want to stay under these strict rules when their contract expires? (Or when new opportunities arise?)

They are both too good for that. (And too used to Max "i do what I want" Verstappen new vision of F1 to comply like older "i will do what my team wants" drivers were used to) So I hope that McLaren wakes up, finds a middle ground and starts managing them better (and lets them race fairly).

But I suspect that McLaren interest lies more on the side of "team player ready to comply" so they don't really feel the necessity of keeping them if they are not willing to do that. (And the drivers know...)

And, also, this situation is not good PR wise. How do they not realize it? They just censor it or cover it with cute landoscar videos... it is not how you deal with it, guys. it just helps fuelling more hate toward them... BOTH OF THEM.

Like, from one side we get the "they wanted Piastri to be a Bottas when Norris is not Hamilton" or "Why being a Bottas when you can be Rosberg".

That's just plain stupidity. All of it doesn't make sense. (Also, what does Oscar gain by doing a multi21 in the last two races? Nothing. Same with Lando. Especially if McLaren is ready to guilt trapping them on radio... Embarrassing.)

And from another the "When has Oscar ever helped Lando??? He is just like Perez to Verstappen." Or "look? Lando has almost a second on him, on the same car! Never beating the second driver allegations".

I really don't know how to comment... Like? Are we seeing the same races? Am I living another reality?

Returning serious, If next year we get a solid start (for WCC) maybe, if they are intelligent, they will let them race better (because they can tolerate a DNF without risking too much on championships, especially at the start of the season).

And if they are MORE intelligent they will fire/change some of the race engineers (or change their current workflow because it clearly doesn't work or brings results... It's too random and reliant on casual events rather than solid simulations).

Thanks got next year we get Courtenay joining the strategy team...

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-head-of-f1-strategy-courtenay-to-join-mclaren/10657702/

Yes! Some people don't understand that drivers are humans and have off weekends for all kinds of reasons. (Some loved ones died, like Lando in Belgium or Colapinto in Interlagos. Health problems like Oscar before the summer break or Lando in Austria. Just the car not working as expected, like Oscar in Mexico... Or just to much pressure to perform: both of them, Always.)

I really hope, exactly like you, that we will have landoscar for the loooong run. They do really complement each other and are good assets for the team. I just hope the team doesn't f*ck them up...

About the upgrades: yes! They didn't update the floor in Austin, it was too risky and they didn't know if the package would have worked (Produce components costs and they have a spending cap. You don't want to waste money, you produce one and test it, if it works you produce it also for the second car!)

In Austin the seventh upgrade that Lando had while Oscar didn't was the front wing. Spoiler alert? It actually didn't perform as well as expected as the rear wing (that Oscar also had) was dragging the car too much in the straights:

See, they made little changes at the rear at the end but it still wasn't stable:

That's why they also risked only one car in Mexico too with the new floor.

Don't worry for the feedback discourse. Yes I agree, both of them give handful insights. Either from experience and engineering backgrounds (let's not forget that Lando also had an internship in McLaren during his "Nando's coffee boy" era!)

"well McLaren made it awkward for everyone once again" YES. Say it louder for the people in the back.

For Lando's "whining", mh no. I might be biased but I didn't see it that way. Let me give some context:

Oscar had a really bad start (overshadowed by Verstappen shenanigans), so bad that me and the Italian commentators thought it was on purpose to make Lando pass him. We later understood that it was not the case as he closed him behind soon after. To me, Lando, just like us, thought the same and was left confused and worried by the immediate closed door. Like I can imagine Jim thinking "is he complying or not? Do I have to race him?" And, in fact, after they separated from Leclerc and Verstappen he called and asked if he could overtake... To which they responded "we are planning to do the switch at the last lap". Me and the Italian commentators were so shocked that we agreed with Lando when he responded:

Like, what am I doing here then? Waiting for Verstappen to climb up while drinking tea and having breakfast? Should I call my mom and make small talk while we wait?

Like, there were plenty of opportunities to overtake (and race) while Verstappen was busy edging Leclerc... But McLaren wanted to go with the safest way: planning a simple switch.

Result: Lando didn't feel it fair, Oscar was depressed and the haters got plenty of opportunities to say "see? He needs team orders to beat his teammate". Like, we all heard the journalist trying to add fuel to the fire during the interview...

At the end that race was bittersweet for me: on one hand I'm happy that both of the cars are safe, that we got all the needed points in the right order and that Verstappen fell out of the podium (not because I hate him, I actually really like him and his driving style, but for WDC). On the other hand both of the drivers suffered from it and, as always, the social are making fun of them...

(p.s. This fan won everything. Love it! Good prediction!)

Yes, fans that slender everyone because of their deluded parasocial obsession with one driver annoy me too... Landoscar are really cute and funny (and genuine? Well, to me they are) together and I hope they don't need change because of the team...

You are welcome! Sorry if my posts are always this long, i'm a professional yapper and I often get too excited while ranting/gossiping/yapping about my fixations!

As always:

My take on a certain part of the McLaren fandom:

Every tag I open I see parasocial behavior.

Let's just touch grass and stop it. It prevents people from enjoying the sport without cringing (and, moreover, be happy for a team's success).

Why do I have to mute stupid tags (anti...) and block people in order to appreciate F1 in peace? Why do people do not understand that this is an highly mechanical/engineering sport and not only a driving sport? Why do you not understand that drivers are humans too?

But mostly, why does it seem so difficult to root for an entire TEAM?

Like, can't we JUST collectively appreciate everything that happened today? Just for once.

Like:

1. Oscar's sprint pole was a significant milestone for him and his career. (And i would love to see him win the sprint). Although he's still a rookie, he's developing into a really good driver (just needs one or two more years to settle down). Also, he has been maturing a lot since the start of the season and you can see that in the way he speaks about the whole "papaya rules" situation (still hate it, no team orders please... Just tell him to not crash both cars.) now compared to before the summer break. (please Oscar, do not let Mark Webber's delusions get into your brain. Thanks.) Also, nice helmet. Love it.

2. Lando finally looks serene and at ease without succumbing to anxiety for other's expectations. (He also seems to not be willing to give a f*ck about WDC, good for him). I'm also really happy that he's back to eating/drinking before races and can finally enjoy driving again. (Noticed him eating an energy bar before the race in Mexico)

I also noticed that he, just like Oscar, matured A LOT this year, especially after the summer break. (Speaking of the elephant in the room: Despite the team's apparent indifference, I still think that WDC can be achieved if he chooses to. Even if they're not interested in helping him due to different priorities or contract clauses)

And no, he is definitely a First Driver. If you think otherwise you are just living in a delusion, sorry. Telemetry, just like Math, is not an opinion.

Like, look at the last qualy time he did (and aborted) before pitting.

(the green lap records are the last sectors performances set by the driver. Look at them. Just look.)

And yes, if he gets the points he deserves a WDC, if he wants to. He IS a really good driver.

Mentality is a concept as old (and toxic) as Helmut Marko. Please, don't be like him.

3. We are finally seeing what the upgrades were for... Especially after whatever Austin was. (And yes guys, BOTH of the drivers have had the upgrades since Austin. Oscar just got 6 upgrades out of 7 at that time... Not none. Sorry to burst your bubble.)

And no, the upgrades DIDN'T actually upgraded the car's overall performances in Austin, you can clearly see that from the data. They purposely sacrificed it for the next races. See this:

https://f1i.com/news/521800-mclaren-explains-decision-to-delay-updated-floor-in-austin.html

Also they took risks with the floor too in Mexico. And no, they didn't give it to Norris because they hate Piastri. They give it to him mainly because he is more experienced and can provide useful data during practice while Oscar still needs to improve this skill.

4. Also, the team has done a great job in finding a way to change the banned rear wing without compromising performance and exceeding the spending cap. Love it. (also they made a new beam wing configuration specifically for Interlagos and it, apparently, works really well!)

I'm still not convinced that we currently have the best car on the grid (Ferrari looks really solid anywhere) but it's already better than the rocky start we got in US.

Not gonna lie, the moment they sprayed the WHOLE side of the car with the flow-vis in Austin i was like "goddammit, no improvements"... So I'm relieved that it wasn't the case (better sacrifice a race than discard the upgrades package entirely like Ferrari did in Silverstone).

WCC wise, I just hope that today they don't do something silly risking two MCL38 in a multi21. (And that we get some good strategies... Hopefully... Ok, I think I need to start pray some ancient god for that.)

And what If they multi21? Well, it would be really entertaining, but I don't think Lando wants to risk points/DNF for that. It's just not his style. (Mentality again? Go to bed grandpa... And take your medicines)

Let's be healthy fans, guys. Not parasocial delulus. We can rant about McLaren shenanigans TOGETHER.

Like, YES, i'm still convinced that the strategy team/management team is doing a real poor job this year. Both in managing the races and managing the drivers. (Including Bortoleto's contract clauses...)

And last (and least?), I loved the Google chromed livery aesthetically... HATED it aerodynamically. You won't be missed. Sorry Google, I had to say it.

Thank you for reading my rant. Love y'all (even if you don't agree with me)!