Hamilton urges McLaren to toughen up as Red Bull raises pressure

The uneasy calm between McLaren and Red Bull is starting to crack as the title fight heats up and even Lewis Hamilton says the papaya team must toughen up or risk being overrun.

After the Austin ‘tape-gate’ spat, Red Bull’s new team principal Laurent Mekies vowed to end what he called “silly games.”

"On one side, you can probably say that such tactics are part of F1 history," he told The Athletic. "But it's equally fair to say that we acknowledge it got out of hand, and we'll make sure it doesn't go too far next time."

But in Mexico, Sky Italia reported a new flashpoint. "A skull has been drawn on the Papayas' pitstop box," the broadcaster said. "There's a Red Bull mechanic who draws a national symbol on his team's box at every GP. What if he did it at McLaren this time? A prank, but there could be consequences."

Red Bull, visibly relishing the mind games, also arrived in Mexico with the only major car upgrade in the paddock. Hamilton says McLaren can’t afford to blink. "You have to be really ruthless," he said.

"That’s what Max is. He’s going to take this World Championship away from them if they don’t do the same. They have to push and do everything to contain someone like Max, especially in the car he has right now."

Inside McLaren, the strain is showing. Championship leader Oscar Piastri described Friday practice as merely “reasonable,” while teammate Lando Norris appeared calm and composed. "Norris is more relaxed, while Piastri can’t express his speed and loses those potentially decisive tenths," noted Sky Italia’s Ivan Capelli.

Team boss Andrea Stella defended his rookie. "Even the world champion has had some learning and thinking issues, think about Barcelona and Hungary," he said. "Oscar is learning very quickly, and I expect him to be very strong in this final part of the season."

Former F1 driver Timo Glock believes the mental tide between the McLaren drivers has shifted. "These are the experiences Lando brings with him from seven years in Formula 1," said the Sky Deutschland pundit.

"Since Zandvoort, he’s realised he’s got nothing to lose and can only win. That’s his advantage now, he’s starting to use it mentally against Piastri." Ralf Schumacher agreed. "Zandvoort was a turning point," he said.

"After that, he saw he could be faster than Piastri if he stayed relaxed. He’s worked on that, and now he has routines that help him." Norris himself sounded unfazed ahead of the rest of the Mexican weekend. "I can enjoy it for the most part," he said.

"Yes, there’s more pressure every session, but I can still enjoy it and I’m probably more relaxed than ever. There are more eyes and expectations, but I feel good and that’s why I’m performing well."

Schumacher concluded: "McLaren would be well advised to just let the drivers race, let them find their rhythm instead of overthinking the situation."]]>