Stella reveals truth behind McLaren’s risky tyre gamble in Canada

McLaren, along with Audi and the Cadillac outfit, were among the only teams to take a bold alternative strategy in Montreal, with the rest of the grid opting for slicks. The call raised eyebrows in particular because McLaren were the highest-profile frontrunners to commit to intermediates, especially as the track was rapidly drying.

Initially, the strategy appeared to deliver dividends. Lando Norris made a strong launch off the front row, briefly jumping George Russell and Kimi Antonelli and even building an early advantage. However, as the circuit dried quickly in the opening laps, the advantage evaporated. Both McLaren drivers soon began to slide backwards and were forced into an early stop, with their race unfolding in difficult circumstances thereafter. What had looked like a calculated gamble ultimately left Norris and Oscar Piastri off sequence and struggling deep in the pack.

Reflecting on the decision-making process, Stella admitted that, at the time the call was made, it was considered the correct option given the conditions. He also emphasised how quickly the weather shifted, leaving the team exposed.

“So in hindsight, we were penalised by the decision, but at the time that the decision needed to be made, I think the conditions existed to fit an intermediate tyre. It just changed very rapidly. In terms of making the decision, actually, it was relatively shared by the people and the drivers. I even gave my input myself, because when a call needed to be made, I just wanted to be sure that we were on a tyre and that we could withstand the first lap,” Stella said to GPblog, among others.

Earlier, Norris also admitted he felt the race was slipping away as early as the formation lap, with McLaren’s strategy quickly looking vulnerable as the rain eased. While the early laps briefly suggested the gamble could pay off, with Norris launching into the lead and opening up a small gap, the drying conditions soon reversed their fortunes. Although Norris fought back into the points and was running eighth by lap 40, his race eventually ended prematurely due to a mechanical failure.

Speaking after the race, which was won by Mercedes driver Antonelli, Norris revealed he already suspected the call may have been the wrong one even before the start.

“Probably just on the warm-up lap. I think the rain had already stopped a little bit by then, so, yeah, it was the wrong decision in hindsight. Obviously, it was good for a lap and kept me out of trouble, and so easily things could have happened behind, and I would have looked much better, but it was the wrong decision in the end,” Norris said.

However, the British driver echoed Stella’s sentiments, stressing that the decision was not driven by poor judgement, but by reasonable assumptions at the time.

“But I don’t think there was any bad decision-making. There were valid reasons for doing what we did. I’m happy we went for something and stuck to it. It doesn’t work out sometimes, that’s the way it is, so we take it on the chin, and we learn from it,” he concluded.

While Norris’ race ended with a technical failure, teammate Piastri was able to take the chequered flag, albeit two laps down on the lead lap, with the tyre strategy and a subsequent collision with the Williams of Alex Albon, which earned him a 10-second penalty, largely ruining the race for the Australian.