McLaren have locked out the front row of the grid for the penultimate sprint race of the season.
There is the small detail that their drivers aren’t in the ideal order, as championship contender Lando Norris lost pole position to his team mate Oscar Piastri yesterday. But the team has indicated it is prepared to intervene to change that if needed.McLaren knows that Norris needs to get as many points as possible in his pursuit of Max Verstappen to somehow make up the 47-point deficit before the end in Abu Dhabi and they need Piastri to play a critical part in helping him out in that endeavour. But ever since team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that the team would “bias” support for Norris from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri has either finished ahead of his team mate – as in Baku – or finished behind Verstappen as he did in Singapore, the United States and Mexico.
Although there is only one additional point between winning the sprint race and finishing second, that’s not a difference Norris or McLaren have the luxury of giving up. So if Piastri keeps the lead at the start of tomorrow’s sprint race, we could see him being asked to move aside to benefit his team mate for the first time in the championship.
Whatever happens into turn one and beyond, McLaren have to be extremely careful not to afford any opportunity to Charles Leclerc and Verstappen behind them on the grid – two drivers who will be looking to break up the two McLaren team mates and get ahead of them for their own championship ambitions. But with the three tenths of a second gap between Verstappen and the McLarens on the grid the furthest that Verstappen has been from them since Baku, Saturday’s sprint race will be a clear indicator of just how far off his rival the championship leader could be in the more important and valuable race of the weekend on Sunday.
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Weather
Although clouds gathered overhead for the start of sprint qualifying, no rain eventually ended up falling over the circuit during the session.
There is a gradually growing threat of rain for the following two days of the weekend, however, with forecasts now predicting there will be more rain coming over the next two days of the weekend than previously expected.
At this stage, it still appears unlikely that the sprint race itself will be wet. The rain is still expected to arrive later in the day at 3pm local time – too late to affect the sprint race but potentially putting it in the middle of Saturday’s grand prix qualifying session.
Start
Looking at the stats, Norris can feel good about his chances of victory on Saturday morning. Not only has the driver on pole never won the sprint race at Interlagos, second position on the starting grid is the most successful position, with both Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen winning from second in 2021 and 2023.
If – and when – Piastri allows Norris to pass him will be an interesting question for McLaren. Norris starts on the left hand side of the grid, meaning he will have the perfect line into the first corner to get by his team mate. Even if they go side-by-side, Piastri will have to lift on the inside of the right hander of turn two, which may see Norris sweep around him instead.
But McLaren can’t be too careful. With Leclerc and Verstappen behind them looking for any opportunity to get by, it may prove most efficient for the McLarens to get around the first lap unscathed and then worry about orchestrating the pass when DRS is activated.
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Strategy
The sprint races at Interlagos have seen more variation in strategy than most over the years. Notably in the first held in 2021, where the field of 20 cars were split nearly 50-50 between C4 softs and C3 mediums. Winner Bottas opted for the softs on that occasion.
The 2022 sprint race saw the vast majority of the first opt for C4 soft tyres, but Verstappen was one of only two who chose the C3 mediums – the second straight year he took that approach. While it allowed him to get by pole winner Kevin Magnussen, he was passed for the win by George Russell on the softs.
Last year, the C4 softs were again the preferred choice, with all of the top ten starts picking them for the sprint race – including Verstappen – this time around. But for this weekend, Pirelli have brought a softer range of compounds to Brazil, meaning the C4 compound is now this weekend’s medium.
Based on historic patterns, the mediums should therefore be the most popular choice on Saturday. But with the resurfaced circuit confounding proving more abrasive than many drivers expected, there’s potential for some surprises.
Overtaking
As none of the sprint race pole winners has converted their position into victory and with no pit stops during sprint races, they have had to be passed on-track during the races.
While several circuits on the calendar may offer little in the way of overtaking opportunities, the same cannot be said of Interlagos. Naturally the most obvious points are into the Senna Esses and Descida do Lago, but the DRS detection zone at the apex of the second turn means that if a driver makes a move into the first corner, they may find themselves under attack soon after.
With plenty of lower-percentage passing points in the twisty middle sector, running softs could be more of a risk in the later part of the race as it could become especially difficult to keep cars behind.
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Safety Cars
Although Interlagos is known for producing some of the more exciting and eventful races on the calendar, the three sprint races held here have seen little in the way of accidents. In fact, a driver has failed to finish the sprint race in Interlagos only once in 60 attempts so far – when Alexander Albon retired with damage in 2022.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, no Safety Cars or Virtual Safety Cars have been deployed during any of the three sprint races here before. Should there be, it tends to work more favourably for drivers who opt for soft rubber – if anyone is brave enough to use it on a surface Albon likened to “sandpaper” – as it will help them to stretch their tyres to the end of the 24 laps.
One to watch
Bearman has a perfect record of points finishes from his two grand prix starts in Jeddah and Baku so far. He’s never started a sprint race before, but while he starts from tenth, he showed in SQ2 that he more than had the pace to start much higher, having posted a 1’09.629 – quick enough to go eighth, on the medium compound.
He will need to gain two places to score another point and keep his record going. It will be tough, but can he make it happen?
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Riker (@corsair)
2nd November 2024, 0:41
PIA has generally had better starts than NOR this season, so it might be wise to let PIA lead out and NOR to follow in slipstream and the two of them build a gap. Once established they can they swap them around. As long as they don’t destroy their tyres.
Side note: title if article needs editing “pole pole”
Leo B
2nd November 2024, 0:55
I’ve never liked subsuming one driver to help another. Norris regards himself as a pole specialist, but when the moment for a pole lap came he bottled it. Very poor. Contrast with Max who always extracts the maximum that the car can give.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
2nd November 2024, 1:20
Yes, no doubt verstappen is more consistent, and that’s actually why he’s even ahead in points atm, norris overall threw away a lot of points through mistakes in the most important quali lap and also on lap 1 in the race.
Piastri doesn’t make as many mistakes as norris but he’s just not as fast on average (nowhere near) and occasionally he’s way off the pace.
Inspector Eisenhorn
2nd November 2024, 11:21
Actually, Piastri does make a lot of mistakes. Just not in the races. He is constantly having scrappy qualifying sessions. Norris, usually gets a really fast lap even if he doesn’t get a perfect lap constantly like Max.
SpaFrancorchamps (@spafrancorchamps)
2nd November 2024, 12:50
Also, Max has had very weak teammates ever since Sainz, and Sainz beat him in their qualifying battle.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd November 2024, 12:10
Earlier in the season, I thought McLaren should have backed Norris. But at this point Norris seems to have lost so many opportunities, I’m no longer convinced they should. I kind of feel Norris needs to earn it for himself. Also it seems a bit senseless to go after these extra points now when McLaren spurned them earlier with their own mistakes (including not allowing their championship contender to run all the practice sessions in Mexico – bizarre). Saying that, I expect McLaren perversely to try to switch them by the end of the sprint or the GP if it’s possible and they’re ‘the wrong way round.’
Jere (@jerejj)
2nd November 2024, 6:38
From what I checked earlier this week, both Saturday sessions as well as the race should be entirely rain-free as ultimately proved to be the case yesterday, so I’m reserved for the likelihood, but we’ll see.
Inspector Eisenhorn
2nd November 2024, 11:48
As most of the locals say, including meteorologists, you can’t really depend on weather forecasts because the area makes it own weather. But, of course, if the forecast says 0% chance of precipitation the chances of sudden storms are less likely.
joe jopling (@jop452)
2nd November 2024, 9:06
Rain showers are around today , but when Sky asked Piastri about helping Lando, I thought there was quite a big delay in the reply, so they may need firm team orders to manage him..
Mayrton
2nd November 2024, 10:04
Team orders or not, I expect Piastri to not play the team game. He has got what it takes to become a great one. Great ones have their reasons not to play the team game (being it won’t get you anywhere as the team will never be loyal or play the team game with you.. they regard drivers as a replaceable item). Teams create the illusion this is a team sport. Well, it is but only the team at your side of the garage. There is no team on the other side. Your ‘team mate’ is your prime rival.
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
2nd November 2024, 10:37
Funny, I thought Piastri got his first win this season because McLaren ordered Norris to let him by.
Inspector Eisenhorn
2nd November 2024, 11:27
Are you being intentionally obtuse? Norris never gets ahead of OP without McLaren letting him pit first/undercutting Piastri as they were afraid Hamilton was too close to Norris. Had they pitted Piastri first, Norris comes out about 6-7 seconds behind OP and even if he caught him there’s no getting by without a huge advantage in Hungary.
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
2nd November 2024, 11:42
Everything you said is true, except for the insult directed at me.
However, as you can see, I was commenting on Mayrton’s comment and even quoted the part I was addressing. If Mayrton’s view were true (that team orders only ever work for one side of the team), then McLaren wouldn’t have swapped positions. How Norris got the position in the first place is irrelevant in this context; if McLaren’s team orders only favored Norris, they wouldn’t have ordered the position swap.
Inspector Eisenhorn
2nd November 2024, 11:52
It wasn’t an insult. It was a question. And you answered you were being sarcastic (more or less). My apologies though.
I disagree with everything Mayrton said. Piastri is not going to get in the way at this point in the season just to demonstrate he’s “a killer.” It wouldn’t impress McLaren. It’d just anger them.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd November 2024, 12:24
I don’t think @hotbottoms was being intentionally obtuse. He was pointing out that Piastri did rely on team orders to win his first F1 race (not something he was happy about by his expression at the end of the race, not the usual exhilaration after a first win). In fact, McLaren emphasized the ‘team spirit’ to convince Norris to cede the place. Which did make Piastri’s overtaking of Norris in the first lap in later races somewhat weird, especially as they left Norris more than one place back, compromising his overall race. Clearly McLaren haven’t had a clear plan for the WDC the entire season, either not a target, not a priority or they simply have no idea how to implement a team plan for the WDC and get their drivers to follow it.
Mayrton
2nd November 2024, 11:49
Which he should never have done. You never, ever, give away a race win. Points might cost him dearly.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
2nd November 2024, 12:31
It was a gifted win by an odd pit stop timing decision, makes sense to give away that particular win.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd November 2024, 12:16
Is Piastri fast enough to win a championship or multiple ones, though? Ultimately, I don’t think so. Antonelli maybe. Sure he’s ruthless, something Norris definitely lacks. But your comment also raises the question of how loyal Piastri might be to McLaren going forward. If it’s not a team sport, then perhaps McLaren should be wary of not backing Norris out of fear of upsetting Piastri? Who’s the most likely to stick with the team? Just a thought.
BLS (@brightlampshade)
2nd November 2024, 9:15
Hopefully they both get away well and can organise a not too messy swap at some point. If only to mildly improve any slight chance of a championship battle.
That’s assuming Max doesn’t forget to brake into T1 and sends one down the inside of Norris.
Aquila_GD
2nd November 2024, 9:20
I do not like the idea of asking another driver to slow down so one else takes the win. The days they did this for Schumacher are a black mark on F1.
Mayrton
2nd November 2024, 10:05
Don’t forget “Valtteri, it’s James…”
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
2nd November 2024, 10:24
Every team does this when one of their drivers still has a realistic opportunity to win the championship, and the other doesn’t anymore. Some teams use team orders even earlier in the season.
I think Austria 2002 was so controversial because it was only the sixth race of the season, and also because Ferrari and Schumacher were dominating that season, so the team order seemed unnecessary. And yes, the style mattered as well, since the swap was done at the last possible moment.
Even when team orders were banned after that incident, teams were still using them to swap positions, but we had all these silly code words. The most infamous incident was probably “Fernando is faster than you.”
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
2nd November 2024, 12:24
At the end of the day it proved it was unnecessary, and that it wasn’t just an over-reaction, but I dare say that the same can be said of russia 2018, also a very low point, in a season which had a championship fight, but at that point, because of vettel’s many blunders, hamilton already had a massive margin and was completely unnecessary to steal bottas’ only win, I said it without hindsight too at the time.
MichaelN
2nd November 2024, 14:26
It was also controversial because it was Schumacher driving for Ferrari. Wrong flag in both cases.
The Austria swaps in 2001 and 2002 were fine. In 2001 McLaren posed a credible threat, and in 2002 Barrichello had such a poor and unfortunate start to the season that it made no sense to have him take 4 extra points at Schumacher’s expense.
Besides, Schumacher gifted more wins to Barrichello than the other way around. But of course that is often “forgotten”.
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
2nd November 2024, 10:09
I don’t think the big question for McLaren is whether or when to orchestrate a position swap, but how to play together at the start. They don’t want their drivers to fight each other in the first corners, but to drive in a neat formation that blocks others.
A prime example of cooperation at the start is Ferrari in 2007 in Brazil (although Raikkonen started 3rd, so it wasn’t an identical situation): Massa blocked Hamilton while Raikkonen didn’t even try to overtake Massa at the first corner. That’s what McLaren should be aiming for.
grapmg
2nd November 2024, 10:50
True the start is crucial they wil discuss this but it can also work against you. I remember Mexico 2021 where Bottas left the door open for Hamilton while Max drove around the outside from 3th to 1st. If they manage the start it will be a boring sprint with a swap after 1 or 2 laps