McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is convinced that his team could have secured the pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix. However, the Italian had to watch as Oscar Piastri was eliminated already in Q1. Lando Norris did make it to Q3, but had to yield to Carlos Sainz and title rival Max Verstappen. Stella regrets a number of costly mistakes made by both drivers.
Oscar Piastri will start seventeenth in the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday. His first lap in Q1 was invalidated due to exceeding the track limits. The Australian didn’t have time to come in for fresh tires and therefore had to attempt a new lap on worn rubber. Due to a lack of grip, he wasn’t fast enough for the top fifteen and was among the first to be eliminated.”Lando Norris also failed to secure pole position for his MCL38. His final attempt to clock the fastest time was not flawless, resulting in him having to start from the third position on Sunday. “I would say the car was certainly competitive enough to take pole position,” Andrea Stella told Sky Sports after the qualification. “Carlos Sainz just set the bar a bit higher in the final session.”
Missed Opportunities
However, the team boss also had some criticism for his own drivers. “Looking at the progress we made leading up to Q3, Lando (Norris) could have ended up on pole,” Stella explained. “But his laps in that final session were not great. He made a few mistakes which caused the tires to overheat.” Norris himself was ‘quite satisfied’ with his performance on Saturday.
“We are all happy that the car is performing well,” Stella concluded. “But at the same time, we have definitely missed some opportunities.” McLaren still leads in the constructors’ championship, but they know that Red Bull and certainly Ferrari can still overtake them. With five more Grands Prix on the calendar, the Brits will have to ensure they score more points than their rivals.
