Stella highlights crucial Norris mistake: 'That made the difference today'
F1 News
Andrea Stella has highlighted how Lando Norris had a lock-up on the front left tyre, which forced McLaren's hand to pit their British driver for a second time. The McLaren team boss sees the team lose the race to Ferrari but remains encouraged by the performance.
McLaren and Ferrari had opposing strategies at the end of the Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari rolled the dice with a one-stop, and Charles Leclerc was able to hang on. McLaren opted for a two-stop but couldn't chase down Leclerc for the win in Italy.
"It's disappointing in the sense we had the performance to win the race. It was a close race between a one or a two stop. Most went for two. It was easier for Leclec to take a gamble," the McLaren team boss told Sky Sports.
Why did McLaren not go for a one stop?
"We had [with Norris] a lock-up on the front left, which meant the tyre was going, so we went clearly on a two stop. With Piastri it was more marginal but we both [team and driver] had concerns. We thought we would have time to recover the lead, but Ferrari did a good job. Well done to Ferrari. Ultimately, it's the details for making the front left work for a long stint. That made the difference today," Stella added.
But Stella did have some positives: "We knew it would be a difficult venue for us, so it's encouraging to be in a position to win the race and get pole position. It encourages us for the rest of the season. We will have to take a look [at Piastri's overtake] with some calm. We will assess the situation and take any learning from that for the future."
McLaren have just an eight-point gap to Red Bull in the Constructors World Championship, while Ferrari are now also getting in on the battle. Eight races remain in the 2024 Formula 1 season.