McLaren had, undeniably, a difficult Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, failing to seal the Constructors’ title with both drivers faltering, as Max Verstappen took victory.
But Oscar Piastri still holds a relatively healthy lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with team-mate Lando Norris 25 points behind in second, and Verstappen still on the periphery.
The Woking-based squad has, for the most part, had the most dominant car in the form of the merciless MCL39, with Piastri and Norris leading the way over their rivals.
And it is has done so through the specific principles that the team has espoused, utilising fairness and the allowance for both Norris and Piastri to race each other, albeit without detriment to the team’s wider goals.
But all this was shot down by former F1 driver Christijan Albers, after what was its worst weekend of the season in Baku.
Speaking to Viaplay, for whom he is a regular pundit, the Dutchman was scathing of both Team Principal Andrea Stella’s ‘team first’ mentality.
“Andrea Stella is building that team around himself, but I saw the same thing with Andreas Seidl, he was also so hyped.”
Albers also took aim at both Norris and Piastri, naming three drivers who would, by his insinuation, deliver a better title challenge than them.
“They have a fantastic car, but their strategy is poor, and the drivers are inconsistent. If you put Max, Russell, or Leclerc in that car, you’d have a completely different championship.”
Piastri crashed out of the race on Lap 1 after also bogging down on the start line, admitting afterwards that it was “not my finest moment.”
Stella defended the Australian’s mistake, saying that even legendary F1 drivers, like Michael Schumacher, all made errors at some stage in their careers.
Norris bemoaned a lack of race pace from the car, finishing seventh, and therefore unable to take a bigger chunk out of Piastri’s lead at the top of the standings.
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