Lando Norris could have fought for the race win in Mexico, argues McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. From Stella’s perspective, the early-race battle between Norris and Verstappen cost the British driver a chance to challenge Carlos Sainz.
McLaren miss out at Mexico GP
In many ways, the Mexico GP was a frustrating event for the Woking-based outfit. Ferrari took yet another victory, overtaking Red Bull in the standings and putting themselves within touching distance of McLaren.
Ferrari’s SF-24 has become the new benchmark since Austin, with the Scuderia’s Monza upgrades proving very effective at more traditional circuits.
This is especially significant because, over the coming weeks, Ferrari will prepare another set of updates to end the season.
McLaren’s advantage has been eroded, and their main challengers are now a team who – unlike Red Bull – have two drivers capable of winning races and taking regular podiums.
Because of this, any dropped points are hugely costly for McLaren.
Stella: Verstappen incident compromised Lando Norris
Andrea Stella recognised this, giving his analysis after the chequered flag in Mexico:
“You go racing fair and square. This is what we want from Lando,” he told the media, per The Times.
“This is what Lando wants from himself. When I look at the incidents in the early laps of the race, there is a bit of disappointment.
“Because without those couple of incidents, Lando could have fought for the victory.”
To some extent, McLaren can be pleased about Norris closing the gap to Verstappen in the drivers’ Championship.
The British driver gained 10 points on the Dutchman, reducing the deficit to just 42 points. With four races and two sprints remaining, there is still time for Norris to bridge the gap.
However, in order to have a realistic chance heading into Abu Dhabi, the McLaren driver needs to start winning races.
Achieving this will require improvements from all departments at Woking, who no longer have any margin for error.
