Formula 1 News: McLaren might be sandbagging at Monza
McLaren’s either sandbagging or its aura of untouchability may finally be cracking, after a more competitive start to the Italian GP weekend at Monza.
Lando Norris (pictured), chasing teammate Oscar Piastri in the title fight after his Zandvoort setback, admitted Friday practice was tighter than expected.
“For my taste, the opponents are too close to us,” the Brit told reporters. “Normally we have a one-second advantage over everyone at this point, and now it’s tighter than I’d like.
“At Zandvoort we were easily quickest, which was fantastic, and here it’s the opposite.”
Red Bull, recently pessimistic about its chances even to challenge for wins, suddenly appeared revitalized. “McLaren doesn’t seem to have anything extra at the moment,” team advisor Helmut Marko said.
He suggested Ferrari may have turned up the power for Tifosi on Friday, but even Williams was posting eye-catching times. “Williams is also fast,” Marko, 82, admitted, “But they’re not as consistent and were inconsistent in the race simulation.
“We’re still lacking a bit of traction, but if McLaren hasn’t pulled the wool over our eyes, it could be very exciting.”
Marko continued: “This is an incredible improvement for us compared to last year. We’ve made a few updates, which are rather small, but as a package, a noticeable difference. And we’ve also adopted a different philosophy with the setup. That seems to be working.”
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, tried to manage expectations after a full week of pre-Monza Ferrari hype – despite Ferrari’s promising single-lap pace. “Our car here is not easy to drive,” he admitted, “but it is fast.”
Even so, former Racing Bulls boss Franz Tost believes the real intrigue remains strictly internal at McLaren. “Verstappen is close in terms of speed, but he can’t challenge the McLarens in terms of equipment, even if it’s still mathematically possible,” he told Speed Week.
“McLaren no longer has to fear any competition. Then we’ll see which of the pair prevails.”