Dear McLaren,
I’m writing this as a fan.
Not as someone who thinks I know more than the people sitting on the pit wall. Not as someone who sees one bad decision and suddenly forgets everything this team has achieved.
I’m writing this because I care.
And because today hurt.
Lando started this race from pole. He had the pace. He had the lead. He had the opportunity to win the Spanish Grand Prix.
And somehow, once again, the strategy became the story instead of the driver.
When the VSC came out, that was the moment. The kind of moment you have to be ready for when you are fighting at the front. Instead, the pit stop came too late, the execution wasn't clean enough, and Lando came out of it having lost a race he looked completely capable of winning.
P3 is a podium. I know that.
But that's exactly why I'm frustrated.
Because this wasn't a race where Lando simply wasn't fast enough. This wasn't a race where someone beat him fair and square on pure pace.
It felt like we took the win away from ourselves.
And honestly, I have to ask:
Why?
Why does it sometimes feel like McLaren makes things unnecessarily complicated for Lando?
Why does it feel like we are constantly asking him to recover from decisions that were made behind the pit wall?
And while I'm asking these questions, I also want to talk about Oscar.
Because I love Oscar too.
He is a McLaren driver. He is incredibly talented. He deserves the same level of attention, preparation and commitment from this team.
And that's what makes some of these weekends so confusing from the outside.
It sometimes feels like McLaren is so focused on managing the battle between its two drivers that it forgets the most important thing:
You have TWO drivers capable of winning races.
Lando shouldn't have to feel like he needs to overcome his own team's strategy.
Oscar shouldn't have to feel like he is fighting for scraps of attention.
Neither driver should have to wonder whether the team will make the right call when the opportunity comes.
You built a team capable of putting two incredible drivers in the same garage.
Now you have to trust both of them.
Let them race (continue)...
2 months agoandreiaonthegrid
Give them the best strategy available. And, above all, don't sabotage either car trying to control the outcome before the race has even finished. As a fan, I don't expect perfection. I don't expect every strategy call to work. I don't expect McLaren to win every race. But I do expect the team to learn. Because we've seen this before. We've seen races where the car was good enough, the driver was good enough, and somehow the execution wasn't. And that's the part that is hardest to accept. Lando has spent years giving everything to this team. Oscar has too. They deserve a team that gives everything back. So please, McLaren: Look at today honestly. Don't hide behind the fact that it was a podium. Don't look at P3 and decide the weekend was successful simply because the trophy cabinet gets another result. Ask yourselves whether you maximised what was available. Because from where I was sitting, pole position and the lead should have meant more than third place today. And yes, I'm frustrated. Yes, I'm angry. Yes, I'm probably going to complain about this race for far longer than is reasonable. But I'm still here. I'm still wearing papaya. I'm still cheering for Lando. I'm still cheering for Oscar. And I'm still cheering for McLaren. That's why I'm asking you to do better. Not because I expect perfection. Because I know you are capable of it. Papaya forever. But please… stop making it harder than it needs to be. A very frustrated McLaren fan.
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