System 1 | Stella: McLaren F1 was wrong to predict ‘difficult weekend’

Andrea Stella, McLaren F1 director, was the first to be surprised to see his team shine in Shanghai, since Lando Norris finished second. The Italian hails the Woking single-seater’s good performance in all conditions this weekend, and is disappointed by the damage suffered by Oscar Piastri during the second half of the race.

“We said it would be a tough weekend for us so we have to adjust our expectations!” Stella announced. “More seriously, a solid weekend in all conditions. Sorry for the Sprint it was in the rain and good qualifying in the dry.”

“We expected a tougher race because the damage was big in the Sprint and we thought Ferrari would pass us. But the car was well organized, and Lando was absolutely brilliant. I also want to salute Oscar who suffered damage but scored important points for the team.

“It’s another step closer, I don’t know how many times Lando has finished second, but the time has come when he finished first because he deserves it, he’s a wonderful driver, it’s up to us to give him and Oscar a car that will allow them. to get the job done.”

Stella has a great review of the weekend: “Poor position for Sprint. Sprint could have been second if not for the problem in the first corner. Good qualifying after that, then another strong race.”

“It is clear that we need to improve our understanding of the possibilities of our MCL38, but F1 is often surprising because it is sensitive to many parameters. A good result, a good surprise, I am very happy for the men and women of McLaren. .