How did it happen that in Shanghai, Oscar Piastri was able to handle the MCL39 better than his teammate Lando Norris? Team boss Andrea Stella is willing to answer this question. According to the Italian, it has a lot to do with the British driver’s driving style.
The MCL39 is currently the strongest car on the grid, but according to team boss Andrea Stella, it still has a few shortcomings. “There are some factors related to the car’s behavior, which make it a bit difficult to get the most out of the car while it’s driving at its limit,” the McLaren team boss begins in an interview with Motorsport Week.
“This is the case for both drivers, but I think it feels more like a penalty for Lando,” the Italian continues. “Given his driving style and the way he generates lap time.” Norris had more trouble with the MCL39 in Shanghai than Piastri, and partly due to a lock-up in turn fourteen during qualifying, he couldn’t threaten his teammate’s pole position. In the main race, the Brit had to settle for second place, behind his teammate.
Too Much Understeer
Norris himself also admitted during the Chinese race weekend to having problems with the MCL39. “I just can’t drive a car without a front end. The car just had too much understeer in the past few days,” the driver said after the race. “I can’t get the most out of the car this way.”
Stella also saw Norris struggling. “For Lando, things actually go a bit better when he’s driving at 99 percent of his ability. When he wants to get the full hundred percent out of the car, things tend to go a bit wrong.”
