Horner: McLaren’s equal driver rule cost them in Japan

Red Bull boss suggests McLaren's treatment of Norris and Piastri limited their strategic options against Verstappen at Suzuka.

McLaren's commitment to equal driver status may have cost them victory at Suzuka.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes the British team's approach restricted their strategic flexibility against Max Verstappen during the Japanese Grand Prix.

The equal driver dilemma

Despite having what many consider the faster car, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to overcome Verstappen's defensive masterclass.

Both drivers spent the entire race trailing the reigning world champion without finding a way past.

"I guess the problem they have is they have two drivers that are fighting for the drivers' championship,"

Horner observed.

"The difficulty they have is that they've made a bet where they're going to let them race. So that's the compromise that inevitably comes with that."

This approach manifested when third-placed Piastri pitted first due to pressure from behind, while Norris came in simultaneously with Verstappen, neutralizing potential strategic advantages.

Piastri's frustrated request

The Australian driver's frustration became evident mid-race when he requested a position swap with teammate Norris.

Piastri believed he had additional pace to potentially challenge Verstappen.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella defended the decision not to implement team orders.

"I don't think it is so clear that Oscar was faster,"

Stella explained.

"Lando was trying to get Max's slipstream even closer, but anytime you went below a second there was a significant loss of grip."

Stella highlighted the extraordinary difficulty of overtaking at Suzuka.

"At this track you need seven, eight tenths of performance advantage in order to be able to overtake," he added.

Verstappen's flawless defense

While acknowledging McLaren's twin threat, Horner emphasized that Verstappen's qualifying brilliance on Saturday laid the foundation for Sunday's victory.

Track position proved paramount at a circuit where passing opportunities were scarce.

"I think the majority of the hard work was done on Saturday,"

Horner said.

"I guess 90% of the cars finished in the order that they started in. It was a flat-out sprint race today. There was very low degradation."

The Red Bull boss was effusive in his praise for Verstappen's error-free performance under intense pressure.

"We know the McLarens are very, very fast. And it needed Max to be inch perfect with two very fast McLarens right behind him," Horner stated.

"For 53 laps he made not a single mistake and had the pace to cover them, keep them out of his DRS. I think that's one of Max's best weekends."

Red Bull's evolving lineup

Horner acknowledged that Red Bull currently lacks McLaren's advantage of having two frontrunning cars.

The team continues its search for a consistent second driver alongside Verstappen, with Yuki Tsunoda the latest to join the championship-winning outfit.

This competitive disadvantage makes Verstappen's ability to hold off both McLarens even more impressive.

As the championship battle intensifies, McLaren's driver policy may face further scrutiny if it continues to compromise their strategic options against rivals.