The McLaren drivers knew they were not going to finish in the points

McLaren thought they would see an improvement in Spain after securing a third place in qualifying with Lando Norris. A very good Saturday that suggested a good race the following day and the opportunity to score a significant amount of points, in a season where the Woking team needs it.

A propitious Saturday

In reality, Lando Norris and his team were expecting a challenging Sunday. Since the beginning of the season, the races have been difficult for McLaren, which is struggling with the weak points of its car, particularly tire grip. Oscar Piastri also started inside the top 10, in ninth position, but was unable to capitalize and score points.

The race circumstances were not in favor of Lando Norris, who was hit by a Mercedes in the first lap of the race. This incident was not the sole cause of his underperformance. Andrea Stella had already warned after the qualifying session that the race would not yield the same level of performance.

The new soft tyres provide a lot of grip. That’s why our issues with balance, especially during fast corners, seem to be improving. […] But that’s also why we are being realistic and cautious for the race. These advantages only work for one lap on soft tyres, Andrea Stella warned.

The new tires at fault

To justify an almost perfect performance in qualifying, Andrea Stella mentioned several factors. The perfect weather conditions for tire and McLaren performance. But the team manager also believes that rival teams have underperformed.

« The qualifications did not really represent the order. With warmer conditions in the air on Sunday, and without the advantage of new soft tires, we just finished without speed and rhythm during the race », Andrea Stella revealed.”

With the contact from the first lap, Lando Norris damaged his front wing and was forced to come into the pits to change it. This put him back in last position, far away from everyone, and may have ruined his race. McLaren’s team principal believes that the British driver could have secured a top 10 finish without this incident.

“I think Lando Norris could have caught up to the train with Guanyu Zhou and Yuki Tsunoda’s cars, right behind the Aston Martins. We could have been in that group. But I don’t know if we would have been able to be at the front of that group or at the back,” testified Andrea Stella.