McLaren wants review of Red Bull after “peculiar” Ricciardo fastest lap

McLaren group boss Andrea Stella has called for the relationship between Red Bull and RB to be “addressed” after Daniel Ricciardo’s “peculiar” quickest lap at the Singapore Fantastic Prix stole a point absent from race victor Lando Norris.

With McLaren overwhelming around Marina Cove, Norris was looking at taking eight focuses out of Max Verstappen’s lead at the best of the drivers’ championship, having set the quickest time on lap 48.

In any case, that additional point was misplaced as Ricciardo, running at the back of the field in what progressively shows up to be his final race in Equation 1, came into the pits for a new set of delicate tires and went nearly half a moment faster than Norris’ best exertion on his last lap.

Ricciardo does not get a point as he wrapped up exterior the beat 10 but, with the McLaren presently clearly the quickest car on the framework, everything may number as Norris points to shut a 52-point hole to Red Bull’s Verstappen within the last six rounds of the season.

Whereas Stella did not by and large charge Ruddy Bull and its sister group of conspiracy in Singapore, he said a more long-term discourse may be required approximately the closeness of the two squads.

“This may be a big matter. You know, as before long as you conjure the sportsmanship, I think you would like to approach this with a sense of obligation, that I need to have,” he said when inquired almost the call.

“I do not know the actualities. I fair saw that RB went for the quickest lap, and they accomplished it. But for me, here, conversation around sportsmanship and so on, I think… it would be out of put. So I think we ought to take it at confront esteem.

“They scored the quickest lap, and possibly as portion of a longer-term discussion, we got to put the sport in a position in which, at any arrange – being it trackside or being it factory-side – groups carry on in a completely independent way, since this is often a constructors’ championship.

“This must be unquestionably tended to. But at no point I have components presently to say RB went for the quickest lap to bolster the Red Bull. I fair discover it a small… how to say… impossible to miss. I did not see it coming.
 
“I was a little surprised that the highest priority of RB racing in Singapore was to go and score the fastest lap of the race. I think we just have to work harder to make sure that this [championship] doesn’t come down to a point.

“At the same time, I have so much sympathy, support and friendship with Daniel that I’m just happy that he may add this fastest lap to his track record.”

Norris said the two teams made a “smart play” in securing the fastest lap for former McLaren team-mate Ricciardo, admitting it was the “logical thing” to do.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner would not be drawn on the situation and said it was up to RB to explain their reasoning, although Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez revealed the team had considered pitting him to aim for the fastest time.

“I don’t know what happened there. I think the team was discussing it…so I think in the end we decided to stay as it was decided anyway. I think the team was thinking about it but in the end it didn’t happen,” he concluded.