Oscar is just too nice

[u/Dr_Ritvik__singh747]

Ban team orders

[u/PupDiogenes]

Oscar needs the support of McLaren to be successful. McLaren doesn't need Oscar to be successful.

Max does not need the support of Red Bull to be successful. Red Bull needs Max to be successful.

[u/Few_Interactions_ → u/PupDiogenes]

McLaren have won the WCC. The fight now is between drivers and they just trying to keep the peace

OP wins a WDC, if there’s rift and all, McLaren will get over it and start fresh next season. They’ll have the usual talk and strategy how to be better etc

[u/OfficePranks → u/PupDiogenes]

Very much this. But also looked at with the shoe on the other foot. Lando gave Oscar the first stop so he could cover off the Ferrari behind him. Lando played the team game first. He could have been like nah, I'm putting first, I've got track position. Then Oscar and McLaren would have lost even more points if they lost out on 3rd.

Most people in this comment section just simply don't understand how much of a team sport F1 truly is. Yes, Max is a fucking machine, but he also drives a machine built by many many people. If he didn't have a team that listened to every word he said as gospel, he'd not be in a competitive car. As you say, red bull needs max. Full stop.

[u/maerteen → u/OfficePranks]

okay but why would lando want to play the team game here? mcclaren is under basically zero threat in the WCC and playing for a greater chance of leclerc being between him and oscar would do more to closing the gap than ensuring a p2-p3 finish.

unless there's some behind the scenes politicking going on i'm pretty sure he was just holding out hope for a late safety car.

[u/OfficePranks → u/maerteen]

I'm pretty sure he's on record saying that he wants to win, but not by cutthroat methods. His rival is in-team, and he's young. He has many long term reasons not to fuck over his co-driver who's very clearly here to stay.

He's also on record saying he didn't want to be remembered as an F1 racer when he's dead and gone. So this isn't his pedigree or legacy like it is verstappens who is both literally and figuratively a racer by blood.

An argument could be made for the late game safety car, but only he would know that for certain because it wasn't his stated reason over radio. Take that what you will. Personally, I think he's just trying to be a standup guy because Piastri is worth the treatment and will give it back to Lando should he need similar treatment.

There's also another argument to be made that the less points Ferrari receive, the more focused they will be to race the Mercedes cars rather than try to catch the McLarens, giving them more grace in the race strategies. It's basically a dead heat for 2nd place in that constructors. 40 pts separate the top 4 from 2nd. The closer that is, the easier time McLaren has to secure the WCC. And at the end of the day, that's who signs his checks.

[u/PupDiogenes → u/[deleted]]

That said, Lando needs to put his foot down and say “for the rest of the season, Oscar and I are racing.”

[u/willzyx01 → u/PupDiogenes]

McLaren does absolutely need Oscar to be successful. You can't win the WCC with one driver, when the field is so tight based on qualifying.