F1 News
Stella explains why McLaren still think it was "sensible" to pit Norris
- Corwin Kunst
Did Lando Norris throw away his chances of a win (or at least a better result) in the Brazilian Grand Prix when he pitted for new intermediates when a red flag came moments later? Some would argue yes, but Andrea Stella has continue to defend McLaren's decision to pit Norris at that moment.
"Lando had already been saying that we needed a new set of tyres. The rain was increasing and there was a virtual safety car. I think these were perfect conditions to actually pit because you want to put your car in the best tyres for a next tint with more rain," Stella explained. "You want to finish the race because you don't want to have an aquaplaning on tyres that are getting relatively worn. And you have a virtual safety car which means you are gonna execute this pit stop in the minimum amount of time. So for us this was, to be honest, a very sensible call."
Bad luck for McLaren
Lando Norris expressed he felt Verstappen had "luck". Stella looks back and sees the difference. "When you are behind, you see those ahead of you that pitted. You can see an opportunity to take the lead staying out, but you do have to rely on a red flag," Stella said.
The race would have been very different had Franco Colapinto not crashed and the race resumed after the safety car went in. "Otherwise it will be difficult when we restart after the virtual safety car with those cars on old tyres," he added.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton