Andrea Stella on the pit wall- Photo: Race Pictures

Stella: Norris and Piastri admit shortfalls but team remains hopeful

11:15, 20 Oct

byBen Winship

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella revealed Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have admitted they have not maximised their performances in previous races.

“I think they recognise themselves that they could have done a better job at some of the previous races.”

- Andrea Stella on drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

He added that the team has not exploited all of the MCL39’s potential as Max Verstappen closes the deficit to championship leader Piastri to just 40 points.

Speaking after Verstappen’s imperious United States GP victory, Stella appeared hopeful despite acknowledging the team’s shortfalls in recent times.

Read also

He said: "The fact that there are five races and two sprints [remaining] means that we can also increase the gap to Max. That's how I see things.

“I think we have good tracks coming for our car and I think we have more that we could have exploited out of our car and to some extent the drivers themselves, I think they recognise themselves that they could have done a better job at some of the previous races.

“So I think we look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the gap to Max.”

This follows Stella's comments earlier in the United States GP weekend, in which he suggested that Verstappen and Red Bull now have a more competitive package than McLaren.

Max Verstappen's United States GP win secured a maximum 33-point haul in Austin - Photo: RacePictures

McLaren suffered their most significant loss at the Azerbaijan GP. Piastri’s qualifying crash was followed by a jump start and a calamitous lock-up which put him in the wall before completing a racing lap. Norris finished a distant P7 after failing to recover from a similarly costly error in Q3.

Mathematics will drive McLaren's decision on driver favourability

McLaren has insisted on letting their drivers race all season. But as Verstappen threatens to take the Drivers Championship away from McLaren with his late title charge, Stella outlined that the team’s approach to favouring one of their drivers will be decided by mathematics.

He said: “When it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be led by mathematics.

“We talked before about experience and learning from experience. I can recall at least 2007 and 2010 in which you go to the last race and it's actually the third [driver] that wins the championship.

“So we're not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics.”

Neither McLaren car has finished ahead of Verstappen since the Dutch GP in August.

In the four Grand Prix since, Verstappen has scored three race wins and reduced the deficit to championship leader Piastri from 104 points down to just 40.

GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.