McLaren stands by its strategy, insisting that Lando Norris’ pit stop timing wasn’t the reason he missed out on victory in Japan.
Was the team’s pit stop strategy responsible for Lando Norris missing out on a win at the Japanese Grand Prix?
McLaren has denied that its decision to bring Lando Norris in for a pit stop at the same time as race leader Max Verstappen impacted his chances of winning the race.
Throughout the race, Norris found himself stuck behind Verstappen. Although at times he seemed faster than the Red Bull driver, he could never get close enough to challenge for the lead.
Both McLaren drivers closely followed Verstappen during the first stint. The team called Oscar Piastri in for his pit stop first, and Red Bull responded by bringing Verstappen in the next lap. To everyone’s surprise, Norris followed Verstappen into the pits.
Other drivers, like Andrea Kimi Antonelli, stayed out significantly longer during their first stints. However, McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, insisted that keeping Norris out would not have given him any better chance of winning.
“We saw that staying out wouldn’t have been faster than pitting,” Stella explained. “We saw this with Russell, who was very quick after his pit stop and fresh hard tires.”
“Clearly, it was not possible to attempt what we call an ‘overcut’ — staying out and trying to go faster than the car that pitted. That wasn’t an option today.”
He also pointed out that Suzuka’s track conditions had changed since its resurfacing, leading to significantly faster lap times.
“The tire degradation, with the new asphalt, has completely transformed Suzuka. Now, degradation is very low, making overtaking extremely difficult even with the same strategy. You need about eight-tenths of a second to be able to attack the car ahead.”
Stella noted that the team’s strategy was heavily influenced by the lack of opportunities to pit early in the race.
“The race was decided yesterday when Verstappen managed to secure pole position by mere milliseconds. He defended it from the start today, and after that, there wasn’t much action.”
“I think the timing of the pit stops was largely determined by the other drivers. There was not much to play for, and the final result ended up pretty much the same as the qualifying positions.”
Despite missing out on his first win of the season, McLaren has extended its lead in the Constructors’ Championship. Verstappen has also closed the gap to Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, now just one point behind.
“Still, it’s a good result for us,” said Stella. “A lot of points for the constructors and a lot of points for both our drivers.”
“The performance of our car is encouraging once again. But it’s clear that the others are not far behind, and sometimes even ahead.”
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Stella: No Regret Over Norris’ Pit Stop Timing Stella: No Regret Over Norris’ Pit Stop Timing