McLaren shot fired after 'another opportunity' blown

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has criticised McLaren for wasting "yet another opportunity" following a failed strategy in the São Paulo Grand Prix. 

Lando Norris started from pole position at a rain-lashed Interlagos but immediately lost the lead to George Russell going into the first corner. 

The Briton remained behind Russell and followed him into the pit lane at the end of lap 28 under a virtual safety car. It was a gamble that backfired as Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, either side of Max Verstappen, inherited the top three positions. 

A few laps later, the trio became the big winners when the race was stopped after a heavy crash for Williams' Franco Colapinto.

That allowed Esteban, Verstappen, and Ocon a free pit stop to take on fresh rubber at a time when they gambling by staying out, allowing them to stay ahead of Russell and Norris.

Verstappen went on to claim victory by almost 20 seconds from Ocon, with Gasly third. It has since emerged all three stayed out in anticipation of a red flag.

"Of course, the leaders’ pit stops and red flag changed the course of the race, but it wasn’t by chance that Ocon, Verstappen and Gasly made the most of it," Palmer wrote for F1. 

"Both Alpine drivers were incredibly switched on to the almost inevitability of a red flag and Red Bull and Max knew it as well.

"It was a well calculated risk from those that gained and it paid off, as it so often does for Max and Red Bull."

It marked McLaren's third strategic error in mixed conditions this season after also making mistakes in Montreal and Silverstone. 

In Palmer's eyes, Red Bull's strategic team has a clear edge in such circumstances, whilst McLaren struggles.

"When you think back to pit calls in mixed conditions at Silverstone and also Montreal, Max and the Red Bull team have a great track record of executing the right strategy and avoiding so many potential banana skins, where pitting on the exact lap can win or lose you the race," continued Palmer.

"McLaren and Norris conversely blew yet another opportunity by not being as forward-thinking as those around them."