McLaren drop off as Stella reveals key issues behind Miami qualifying flop

The Italian, who had earlier celebrated McLaren’s commanding one-two finish in the Sprint race, saw both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri struggle when it mattered most in qualifying. Norris, winner of the Sprint, could manage only fourth place on the grid, while Piastri was further back in seventh.

Reflecting on the result, Stella pointed back to his earlier comments suggesting McLaren’s Sprint success was partly influenced by issues faced by rival teams. He also highlighted just how tight the current competitive order is at the front of the field.

“Well, I think we said already yesterday after the sprint qualifying, where we were in pole position, that actually multiple cars could have been in pole position because we had Mercedes that struggled a bit with deployment, I think Leclerc made a couple of mistakes. So actually, the reality is that because of the combination of the upgrades and drag characteristics, I think the four teams are very close and it's more about execution,” he said to Sky Sports F1.

Stella noted how the changing conditions also played a part in the results recorded by the team, and how the power unit inconsistency on their side also impacted the outcome of both drivers’ qualifying. “Today the conditions were different to yesterday. The wind was very different. We had a few things to manage with the power unit consistency and the drivers needed to find their rhythm, and it looks like some other teams have been better than us from this point of view. So I think the reality is that the teams are very close and it's more up to execution. I think for Formula 1 this is very good news. That’s some entertaining racing ahead of us.”

While Stella and the McLaren team were left to rue their missed chances, Kimi Antonelli and the Mercedes team continued their sensational form, with the young Italian claiming pole with a lap time of 1:27.789. The 19-year-old was followed by Max Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc rounding out the top three.

Want to stay up to date with the latest events from the F1 paddock? GPblog’s Paddock Update is the place to be.

Follow and subscribe to our channels on Spotify and YouTube so you don’t miss a scoop as the actions and reactions continue across the Formula 1 scene.

Check out the latest episode of our Paddock Update here 👇