McLaren's car shows strong potential

Andrea Stella of McLaren said the team's MCL40 car has significant potential that wasn't fully realized during the United States Grand Prix, even though drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished fifth and seventh. The team believes its car could rival top teams like Ferrari and Red Bull, but it struggled to consistently show that performance.

Qualifying struggles affected race performance

The weekend in Austin was difficult for McLaren, especially due to disappointing qualifying sessions that placed Norris eighth and Piastri seventh on the grid. During the race, Norris reached as high as second place in the final laps before being overtaken by Max Verstappen and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Stella said this showed the MCL40 has strong performance capabilities, even if the team struggles to use them regularly.

Norris's comments on grid position seen as optimistic

Stella said Norris's comments about the possibility of a second-place grid position were somewhat exaggerated. He noted that while the car has potential, it is particularly difficult to fully exploit this year. However, he added that the MCL40 was as competitive as the Ferraris and Red Bull, with Antonio Giovinazzi appearing to have an edge over everyone.

Strategy helped Norris but had limitations

McLaren tried to make up for its lower grid positions with a one-stop strategy, allowing Norris to briefly reach second place. However, this made him vulnerable to opponents with fresher tires. Stella admitted the team hoped for a safety car intervention to benefit from their strategy, but this did not happen.

Maintaining second place proved difficult

Stella acknowledged the difficulty of keeping second place, saying it was very unlikely to hold off Verstappen and especially Leclerc. The outcome for Hamilton depended on how well Norris's hard tires lasted at the end of the race. Piastri finished seventh after resisting attacks from George Russell.

McLaren hopes for improvements in Brazil and Las Vegas

Despite these results, which extend a difficult period for McLaren, the team had previously won two races with Norris during the season. Norris is now on four consecutive Grand Prix without a podium. Stella expressed hope that upcoming developments, expected in Brazil and Las Vegas, would help the team regain regularity. The goal is to regularly fight for podiums and get closer to the level needed to compete for victory. McLaren remains confident in its competitive base but must now transform this potential into concrete results to regain its place among the leading teams.