McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted that George Russell and Mercedes probably had the pace to beat Lando Norris to pole position during the rain-affected qualifying session for the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix. Although Norris secured the fastest time at Interlagos, Stella acknowledged that Russell was on course for a potentially quicker lap before traffic and a decision to abandon his attempt prevented him from improving.
The admission is particularly significant because it comes from the team principal whose driver claimed pole position. Stella praised Norris for making the most of the changing conditions, but conceded that an incident involving Russell during the closing stages of Q3 could have changed the outcome of qualifying.
Andrea Stella admits George Russell had the pace to beat Lando Norris to Brazil pole
Lando Norris once again demonstrated his ability in difficult wet-weather conditions by securing pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, George Russell may have been the quickest driver on the circuit, at least in terms of the potential pace available from his Mercedes.
That assessment was not limited to Russell himself, who was understandably disappointed after missing an opportunity to claim pole. Andrea Stella also acknowledged the Mercedes driver’s pace, explaining that the circumstances surrounding his final qualifying attempt had prevented him from completing what could have been the fastest lap.
“We have to acknowledge that Russell probably had the fastest car in Q3,” Stella explained. “George caught Albon and was unable to complete his second lap on intermediate tyres. Up to that point, his time was matching the pole position pace, if not even faster.”
The McLaren team principal’s assessment suggests that Norris’ pole position was far from inevitable, even though the British driver ultimately delivered the lap that secured first place on the grid.
How George Russell lost his chance of Brazilian GP pole position
The incident that frustrated George Russell occurred while he was completing a particularly competitive lap in Q3. As the Mercedes driver approached the final part of his attempt, he caught the Williams of Alexander Albon, creating a potentially costly traffic situation.
Russell was instructed by his pit wall to slow down, with Mercedes believing he would have another opportunity to complete a flying lap before heavier rain arrived. However, that assessment proved incorrect as the rainfall intensified rapidly, preventing him from improving his time.
The Mercedes driver was consequently left in second place, despite having shown pace that suggested pole position was within reach. There was still uncertainty over whether Russell could have completed the lap without losing time behind Albon in the final sector, even if he had continued pushing.
Nevertheless, the decision to abandon the attempt removed any possibility of finding out whether he could have beaten Norris. Russell finished the session convinced that he had missed an achievable pole position, an assessment that gained further weight from Stella’s comments.
McLaren explains why its performance changed throughout wet qualifying
Stella’s admission was especially revealing because McLaren’s competitiveness had fluctuated considerably during the qualifying session, depending on the amount of water on the Interlagos circuit.
The MCL40 appeared particularly comfortable when the track was wetter, but became less competitive as conditions improved. The subsequent return of heavier rain allowed McLaren to recover its performance during the decisive final qualifying segment.
“We saw some quite interesting fluctuations in our performance,” Stella explained. “In Q1, when there was a lot of water on the track, we were relatively comfortable. The lap times came easily and both drivers were competitive. In Q2, with less water, we started to struggle more, even with Lando. Then, in Q3, when the rain returned, we became competitive again.”
These variations highlighted how strongly the MCL40’s performance depended on the prevailing track conditions. The car’s characteristics appeared better suited to certain levels of surface water, allowing Norris to take advantage when the conditions moved back in McLaren’s favour.
Did McLaren’s MCL40 upgrades help Lando Norris secure pole?
McLaren arrived at Interlagos with technical developments designed to improve the performance of the MCL40. However, Andrea Stella does not believe the upgrades were the main reason Norris secured pole position in Brazil.
Instead, the team principal attributed the result primarily to the relationship between the car’s characteristics and the changing track conditions. He explained that the upgrades had delivered the performance improvement McLaren expected, but their benefits had been most apparent in dry conditions.
“I think today it was mainly a question of the match between the conditions and the car’s behaviour, rather than upgrades that made us particularly competitive to the point of taking pole,” Stella said. “The improvements essentially delivered the lap-time gain we expected, but we saw that mainly in the dry.”
His explanation follows McLaren’s continuing attempts to address the performance difficulties experienced by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after the United States Grand Prix. While the latest developments have provided the expected gains, their contribution to the Brazilian qualifying result was less decisive than the weather conditions.
Andrea Stella praises Lando Norris for mastering difficult Interlagos conditions
Despite acknowledging the potential pace of George Russell, Stella made clear that his assessment did not diminish Lando Norris’ achievement. The McLaren driver successfully navigated a qualifying session characterised by constantly changing conditions and made the most of the moments when his car was particularly competitive.
Rather than allowing the changing weather to disrupt his performance, Norris delivered the lap required to claim pole position when it mattered most.
“It’s not the first time Lando has taken pole position in these conditions,” Stella emphasised. “He’s a master.”
The final result therefore rewarded Norris for completing the decisive lap, while leaving an unanswered question about what Russell might have achieved. In a session affected by rain, traffic management and the ability to complete a flying lap at precisely the right moment were just as important as the outright pace of the cars.
Norris succeeded in taking advantage of his opportunity, while Russell was unable to complete the lap that might have changed the result. For once, it was the team principal of the pole-winning driver who openly acknowledged that the outcome could have been different.
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