Rainy Brazil Exposes McLaren Instability, Says Stella

Andrea Stella cites McLaren’s unpredictability in wet conditions as a factor in Norris’s off-track struggles during the Brazilian Grand Prix.

McLaren F1 faced a setback in Brazil, but Andrea Stella believes there are multiple reasons for this. The team principal noted that at Interlagos, Lando Norris’s mistakes cost positions, as did the wheel lock-ups experienced throughout Sunday.

“If I look at Lando himself, the main areas to review are related to his off-track excursions, which cost us positions,” Stella stated. “We struggled with both drivers, including in qualifying. In Q3, Oscar [Piastri] didn’t complete a very good lap because he locked up on his last two attempts in Turn 1.”

“We struggled with tire lock-ups. So even though we’re talking about the drivers, I think as a team, we must recognize that we didn’t provide them with equipment that was easy to handle in these challenging conditions.”

“I’m sure the drivers will say they could have done better here or there. But as a team, we must also acknowledge that our car in these conditions was challenging, tricky, and at times simply unpredictable.”

“For now, we take the positives from a championship perspective, but we also acknowledge several areas where we could have done better. For instance, we need to examine the start: did we get the best start possible? Did we have too much roll?”

“We’ll see, but as always, we’ll review in a very constructive way. While focusing on opportunities, I’d also like us to focus on the positives of the race—finishing the race, securing solid points, and widening our gap with second place in the Constructors’ Championship.”

McLaren will therefore look into why its cars are experiencing wheel lock-ups: “We’re certainly going to examine this issue. It seems to arise under certain conditions. I can’t really comment further as it would reveal intellectual property details.”

“The car was somewhat unpredictable, and for the drivers, it’s also difficult to adapt from one lap to the next. It’s unpredictable, and I’d say it’s more of a technical opportunity for the team rather than something for the drivers to address on their own.”

Stella aims to absolve the drivers regarding this specific issue: “When we’re locking up the tires with the car as we did today, I’m not looking at the driver. I’m looking to understand why the car keeps locking the front tires in such conditions.”

“I don’t think pressure was a significant factor. We struggled with lock-ups throughout the weekend in wet conditions with both drivers, and I think from the car’s perspective, it’s also something we need to examine.”

The Italian is aware he wanted better results for his team but acknowledges that his drivers reached the finish line: “First of all, I believe the message to both drivers was to finish the race. We had to finish the race.”

“In races like this, it’s easy to encounter an issue that takes you out and results in a DNF and zero points. Given what we’re fighting for at the moment, this was what we wanted to avoid, and I want to commend the fact that both drivers met this goal.”

McLaren made a strategic error by not waiting for a stoppage before pitting, but Stella reveals that Norris and Piastri wanted fresh tires to cope with the rain: “Both drivers acknowledged that we needed fresh rubber to stay on track in these conditions.”

“The reason this decision didn’t pay off was that the rain became very intense, leading to the incident that caused the red flag. At that moment, with the virtual safety car and the increasing water on the track, we thought it was crucial to switch to new tires.”

“I think without the red flag, and with slightly less intensity—which is always hard to predict—it would have been quite challenging for those who hadn’t changed tires. Sometimes you look brilliant because you commit to something, and it’s always easier to commit when you’re behind, making you look like a hero.”