McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has conceded his pit wall may have influenced Lando Norris in the wrong direction after an incorrect judgement during the chaotic start of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Thunderstorms and a software bug delayed the start of the race at the Sepang International Circuit, splitting the field between dry tyres and intermediates once the action eventually got underway.
Both McLaren cars were due to start on medium-compound Pirellis, but Oscar Piastri pitted for intermediates after the formation lap while Lando Norris stayed out on dry rubber. The decision cost Lando Norris significant race time, forcing the Briton into an eventual recovery drive that yielded minimal championship points.
Speaking to media, Stella explained that the call was complicated by how quickly the intermediate tyres were degrading on the Sepang asphalt during the laps to the grid, suggesting the dry tyre could work far sooner than it actually did. "Well, on the pit wall, in terms of making calls on strategy and tyres, the most difficult moment was certainly at the start, when it wasn't clear whether the track was requiring intermediate tyres or if it would have worked for the dry tyres," Stella said.
The McLaren boss firmly rejected suggestions that the team had intentionally split strategies to hedge its bets across the garage. "It wasn't as simple as splitting Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It was more the uncertainty as to how much it would take for the dry tyres to start to work, and ultimately, it was an incorrect judgement as to the crossover at which the dry tyres would be faster than the intermediate tyres," he added.
Stella went further by suggesting that Oscar Piastri had reached his own independent conclusion on the formation lap, whereas Lando Norris had been heavily swayed by the pit wall's thinking. While Oscar Piastri fought back to finish sixth, Lando Norris salvaged just two points in ninth place after a messy recovery drive.
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