The head of the McLaren racing team, Andrea Stella, feels that Lando Norris’s seventh-place result in the Baku Formula 1 competition was the best achievable outcome given his circumstances in the race.
Following a challenging qualifying session marked by strong winds, Norris secured a seventh-place start, despite demonstrating promising pace throughout the weekend. A mishap at Turn 15 during his quickest Q3 lap hindered his starting position.
On Sunday, Norris encountered difficulty in improving his position, conceding seventh place to Charles Leclerc during the lap five restart, a position he wouldn’t regain until the final segment of the race. A sluggish tyre change further complicated matters, placing him behind a string of vehicles led by Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
Stella, the team’s principal, stood by Norris’s performance on race day, emphasizing that McLaren lacked the necessary speed to navigate the cluster of cars Norris found himself amidst from the start.
“I believe Lando executed a commendable race, pushing to the limits of the car’s capabilities,” Stella stated. “I doubt any other driver in Lando’s vehicle could have attained a superior outcome.”
“Our hopes were set on having a car capable of overtaking, but the reality was that the car’s speed wasn’t sufficient to closely trail the preceding car out of the final turn, which would have enabled an overtake on the straight. Consequently, Lando spent the entire race contending with traffic, despite sensing that the car had more to offer.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images via Getty Images
“If anything, the onus of trying to secure additional points may rest more with the team, given that a swift pitstop could have potentially afforded Lando the opportunity to challenge Lawson.”
With his teammate and championship contender, Oscar Piastri, retiring due to a first-lap crash, the Baku weekend presented a significant opportunity for Norris to substantially reduce his 31-point deficit, but his seventh-place finish only yielded a six-point gain.
“Looking at it solely from the perspective of the drivers’ championship, it’s evident that this was a chance to accumulate points, similar to the potential that existed yesterday in qualifying,” Stella acknowledged. “However, as I mentioned, we didn’t provide Lando with a car capable of advancing through the field.”
“Lando gained six points, but it’s not accurate to assert that he could have gained more, considering the car’s competitiveness.”
