McLaren set to 'review possibility' that Norris could have executed undercut on Verstappen

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has reflected on his team's performance during the Japanese Grand Prix, insisting that his drivers are first and foremost targeting to beat the other teams instead of each other.

Lando Norris finished just over a second behind title rival Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri took third place on the rostrum, and spent the majority of the race just behind his teammate. The papaya team took the decision not to swap the cars, despite the fact that Piastri appared to be quicker in some parts.

After the race, Stella revealed that a strategy review is needed. "We will review obviously the gaps in terms of time to understand whether there was the possibility to go for an undercut with Lando that could actually be executed on max," Stella began in the paddock after the Japanese Grand Prix.

"We don't have to forget though that by giving up track positions, you also expose the car that you pit to safety car risk, for instance. Lando would have lost positions in a safety car should a safety car be deployed. So in hindsight, you don't see any safety car, you don't see anything. And you think, oh, yeah, I might have gone for the undercut, but an undercut attempt comes with some risks.

"And it was apparent, and I just finished. And it was apparent that the degradation was low. So I think if you lose position with a safety car, it's lost. I don't think we could have overtaken a Ferrari or a Mercedes today," Stella explained in depth.

During the race, cars struggled to overtake one another. The only overtake inside the top 10 came in the early stages, as Lewis Hamilton passed Racing Bulls youngster Isack Hadjar for seventh place.

Stella: 'We don't need these reminders'

The McLaren team principal was also asked about the possible chance that his drivers will be fighting each other throughout the remainder of the 2025 season for the title. The Italian snapped back politely in response, stating: "We don't need these kinds of reminders, because we talk about this every Thursday and every Sunday of every single race weekend. We are here, first of all, to beat the other teams, and put McLaren in a very strong position. When McLaren is in a strong position, then that's the best position for the two drivers to pursue their other teams."

The papaya drivers head to Bahrain with a clear motto etched in their brains. "When McLaren is in a strong position then that's the best position for the two drivers to pursue their aspirations. This is very clear to the team, and very clear to the drivers."

McLaren currently lead the constructors championship, and will be hoping to keep their lead growing. See the full constructors leaderboard here.

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