"Sometimes life and racing isn't fair": F1 pundit on McLaren's strategy ending up favoring Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri

F1 pundit Jon Noble has claimed that racing isn't fair when talking about McLaren's strategy call that ended up favoring Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Noble claimed that being behind your teammate can sometimes be an advantage in racing, which cannot be countered by fairness.

Lando Norris ended up winning the Hungarian GP after going down to fifth during the race start. The only reason he was able to contend for the race win was because McLaren split the strategies between their two drivers.

Norris, who had nothing to lose in a way, decided to stick with a one stop strategy, meaning he would have track position. Oscar Piastri, who was ahead of his teammate, was given the two-stop strategy, as it was considered to be the optimal option before the race.

As things turned out, Piastri had just a little bit too much to do on his final stint and Norris held on to the race win. F1 pundit Jon Noble reflected on this whole episode on The Race's podcast, highlighting how life and racing isn't always fair.

"McLaren's policy is to give both drivers a fair chance, but unfortunately sometimes life and racing isn't fair," said Noble. "Sometimes being second on the road is the better position to be in and that's something that fairness can't counter," he added.

Lando Norris ended up on the right strategy for him in the end, winning his fifth race of the season. With this result, he now moves within nine points of teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri, who was unfortunate to lose out in Hungary.

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Lando Norris has his say on battle with Oscar Piastri at the F1 Hungarian GP

Oscar Piastri chasing down Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lando Norris explained how he was not looking to do the one-stop strategy at the start of the race, but ended up going for it following his poor race start at the Hungarian GP. The Briton also added that he gave it his all to keep Oscar Piastri behind in the final stages of the race.

Speaking in the post-race interview, Norris explained how the race and strategy decisions unfolded throughout the 70 laps at the Hungaroring.

"We weren’t really planning on the one-stop at the beginning, but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things," said Norris. "It was tough. The final stint with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat-out. My voice has gone a little bit," he added.

Norris also claimed that it was the perfect day in the end for him, and even more rewarding than a normal race win because of the efforts he had to put in to stay first on old tires towards the end of the race.

Edited by Mitali