The fight for the 2025 drivers' title has come to life. Every point counts and it is above all the details that make the difference. There is a lot of talk about the return of Max Verstappen, who could weaken the two main contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, after having won the Italian and Azerbaijan GPs consecutively. The possibility is there, it always is, but the 69 point delay over the Australian makes us say that, first of all, it is the drivers belonging to the papaya company who compete for the most important trophy of the season.
In this scenario, however, if on the one hand McLaren has so far seemed not to want to take part, even imposing controversial team orders, an important fact has emerged: the team has gotten much worse in the pit stops and Norris is the one who paid the most consequences among the Italian GP that of Baku.
Some suggest it could be a way to restrain one of the two contenders, favoring the other without arousing suspicion. However, we would like to take a couple of notes. The first comes from the team order given to Piastri in Monza: why would the team slow down the Briton in the pits and then immediately ask the world championship leader to slow down to be overtaken by his teammate? It doesn't make much sense.
Furthermore, from the data published by ‘The Race’, which have drawn up a ranking dictated by the average pit stop times carried out on the last six GPs, we note that Lando Norris is the slowest driver in the pits, but at the same time we observe that Piastri is also more or less in the same situation (hereinafter the times in descending order).
1) Norris (McLaren) in 3’’98 (average last six races);
2) Piastri (McLaren) in 2’’69 (average last six races);
3) Hamilton (Ferrari) in 2’’32 (average last six races);
4) Verstappen (Red Bull) in 2’’28 (average last six races);
5) Tsunoda (Red Bull) in 2’’18 (average last six races);
6) Leclerc (Ferrari) in 2’’12 (average last six matches).
From this a problem would emerge more concerning the entire team than being something aimed at hitting a single driver. We remind you that the team had the biggest problems in Monza and Baku. Piastri did not get to make the stop in the Azerbaijan race due to the mistake he made on the first lap (the average could be higher now and for this reason there is so much difference between the average of the two pit companions).
From hypotheses to the possible explanation that answers most questions
What could be the source of the problem? Is the team having real difficulties or taking calculated risks? Difficult to give an answer. Considering the position that McLaren had last year in the standings (in terms of pit stop speed) and comparing it with this year, we note that it still occupies second position. Only the best team that until 2024 was Red Bull has changed while now it is Ferrari.
Looking at this evidence too, it seems difficult to think of such a sudden collapse. The hypothesis is that the papaya mechanics and technicians may have taken risks ‘’calculated’’ to study new procedures (which could also concern the use of new instrumentation) which could prove useful in view of the next season.
With the constructors' championship in the safe and the drivers essentially taking place between its drivers, all of this would be part of a set of variables that can unpredictably influence the outcome of one or the other driver's races. A calculated risk that while it may currently be a useful component to boosting the spectacle, on the other hand it may have been vital work to enable McLaren to still be among the fastest teams in pit stops at the dawn of the new 2026 regulatory challenge.
Cover photo: McLaren; internal photo: You Tube Channel, DHL
Read in italian language: La McLaren è peggiorata tantissimo nei pit stop. Crollo o rischio calcolato?
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