Stella Highlights McLaren's Straight-Line Struggles in Baku
McLaren's Andrea Stella sheds light on the team's performance challenges during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, pointing to straight-line speed deficits. Despite Oscar Piastri's promising start, both McLaren drivers faced setbacks, with Lando Norris also battling technical issues.
Andrea Stella, McLaren's Team Principal, offered a candid assessment of the team's struggles at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The race marked the third time this season that McLaren failed to score points, a result of both driver errors and inherent deficiencies in the car's performance.
Oscar Piastri, who showed flashes of brilliance, seemed poised for a podium finish after running second for a significant portion of the race. However, a late error saw him take a detour down the Turn 1 escape road, dropping him out of the top ten in a tightly packed field. Lando Norris, meanwhile, faced his own set of challenges. A power unit issue hampered his straight-line speed, leaving him vulnerable and ultimately contributing to his race-ending entanglement in the Colapinto-Gasly collision.
Reflecting on the weekend, Stella noted, "It was a very frustrating Saturday. We had issues and mistakes but were mainly limited by our package's fundamental weaknesses on this type of circuit. We weren't fast enough in the corners or on the straights, which left our drivers constantly defending rather than attacking."
Stella praised Piastri's defensive driving, reminiscent of his past performances, despite the Australian's costly mistake. "Oscar drove very well under the circumstances," he said. "It's a shame his podium chances evaporated after the pit stop. He was adapting well to the 2026 car, and a podium would have been a fitting reward."
As for Norris, Stella acknowledged the difficult weekend and the intermittent power unit issues that plagued him. "Lando's race was affected by power unit deployment inconsistencies," Stella explained. "He also made a few driving errors which allowed others to close in, and once they're in range, our lack of top speed is exposed."
Stella pointed out the team's need to address their car's aerodynamic drag and power unit optimization. "Our car wasn't competitive on the long straights. We need to improve aerodynamic efficiency and ensure our power unit is optimized. There's work to do on both fronts," he said.
Despite the setbacks, McLaren's upgrade package, aimed at improving slow-corner performance, showed promise. Stella expressed optimism about the upgrades, despite some components being lost in the crash. "The data confirms the upgrades are working, and we'll have more parts arriving soon," he assured.
Looking ahead, Stella confirmed that McLaren's development efforts have shifted focus to the 2027 car, with only pre-planned updates for the current model still in the pipeline. "We're concentrating on next year's car, but there's still a tail of parts for the MCL40," he concluded.