Stella issues 'execution' wake-up call for Norris after painful Spa loss

Norris complained right after the safety car restart on lap 5 that there were issues with his battery deployment, Stella clarified then that the issue presented itself on Piastri's car as well.

Speaking to GPblog among others, the Italian said: "This is the initial feedback I received, so I think the overtaking ultimately came because it's very difficult for the car that leads the pack to actually arrive first in corner 5."

"It's not impossible but it does require to have a decent advantage as you cross the finish line which was not the case for Lando already at the restart," suggesting Norris did not get the restart right, something the Briton himself stated having copped to a mistake coming out of the La Source hairpin.

On lap 11 of the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was the first to pull the trigger to make the switch onto slicks. Piastri came in the very next lap to don medium tyres on his MCL39.

Double stacking was an option for the McLaren pitwall, but it was ultimately Norris' decision to go one lap longer and take the hard tyres, Stella revealed..

It's fine margins that divide both McLaren drivers in the championship standings with the gap ebbing and flowing constantly between Piastri, current championship leader, and hunter Norris.

"I think the difference will be made by the accuracy, the precision, the quality of the execution," said the McLaren team principal.

The execution is precisely where the Italian believes Norris is missing the mark.

"It would have always been very difficult for Lando to keep the position starting first at the safety restart," he admitted, before judging that ultimately Norris failed to do what he needed to do to keep the race lead.

"Lando had a couple of lockups in corner one and also a little oversteer in corner nine that cost him time. I think this overall prevented us from having an interesting battle possibly at the end," Stella concluded.