Andrea Stella believes Formula 1 should discuss whether the Virtual Safety Car rules can be made fairer after Lando Norris lost a possible Spanish Grand Prix victory through unfortunate timing in Madrid. McLaren left Madring frustrated despite the MCL40 showing highly competitive pace, with Norris dropping to third after the VSC changed the strategic picture while Oscar Piastri’s race was compromised by front-wing damage.
Norris had already passed the pit-lane entry when race control activated the Virtual Safety Car following Lance Stroll’s stoppage on track. Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, running behind him, were able to pit under the neutralisation and benefit from the reduced time loss, wiping out the advantage the McLaren driver had built during the race.
Andrea Stella questions whether the VSC system could be made fairer
The timing proved decisive for Norris, who eventually finished third. Stella nevertheless defended race control and stressed that the race director cannot consider which drivers will gain or lose when deciding whether to deploy a Virtual Safety Car.
“The race director has to focus on the conditions required to activate and deactivate the VSC. He cannot look at who gains or loses from the moment it is introduced.”
However, the McLaren team principal believes the circumstances could justify a wider discussion about whether the regulations can reduce the element of chance involved in such situations. GP-News has also detailed how the Madrid VSC timing cost Norris a possible Spanish Grand Prix victory.
Could Formula 1 introduce a minimum VSC duration?
One possible solution would be to establish a minimum duration for every Virtual Safety Car period, potentially keeping it active for at least one complete lap. The idea would be to reduce the extent to which the precise timing of a neutralisation can randomly influence the outcome of a race.
“Maybe we should discuss whether there is a way to make the situation fairer. One possibility could be to keep the VSC active for at least one full lap, but we don’t have a precise answer yet.”
Any change would require considerably more than a decision by race control. Stella explained that the proposal would first need to be discussed by the Strategy Advisory Committee, before moving to the F1 Commission and eventually requiring an amendment to the Sporting Regulations.
Unless the FIA and Formula 1 chose to accelerate the process with particularly strong backing, it would therefore be a relatively lengthy procedure.
“It’s something that would have to be discussed in the SAC and then in the F1 Commission before we could change the Sporting Regulations. It’s not an immediate process.”
Stella’s comments add to the debate already surrounding the Madrid outcome, with McLaren calling for a review of the Virtual Safety Car rules after a race in which timing rather than raw performance decided much of the final order.
Stella calls Norris’ defeat an ‘almost mathematical definition of bad luck’
Whatever happens to the regulations in future, McLaren’s frustration is heightened by the pace of the MCL40 in Madrid. Norris had built a margin around two seconds greater than the gap he needed to protect in order to win before the VSC erased the advantage.
“Today we were too fast. Lando had built a bigger advantage than he needed to win, considering that we were penalised both by the beginning and the end of the VSC. It’s almost a mathematical definition of bad luck. There was no strategic decision that could really have changed the result.”
The setback was particularly difficult to accept after McLaren had already demonstrated its speed throughout the weekend. Norris had started from pole, continuing the recent improvement of a car that is increasingly challenging Mercedes at the front.
The wider development battle remains an important part of McLaren’s season, with the team also preparing further progress after targeting Mercedes with additional upgrades.
Seven-second pit stop adds to McLaren’s frustration
There was another issue McLaren will need to investigate. Norris’ pit stop lasted seven seconds, far longer than the team’s normal standard, although Stella does not believe a cleaner tyre change would have altered the final result.
“We need to review the pit stop, because seven seconds is not our standard. But I don’t think it would have changed the result of the race.”
Madring also confirmed how difficult overtaking can be around the new Spanish circuit. According to Stella, the performance delta required to complete a pass was extremely large. Had Norris been able to attack effectively, the McLaren team principal believes he would probably have recovered the lead.
“If overtaking had been possible, Lando would have gone back into the lead. But here the delta needed to complete a move was really very high.”
Oscar Piastri’s Madrid race compromised by front-wing damage
On the other side of the McLaren garage, Oscar Piastri endured an even more difficult Sunday. The Australian finished only eighth after damaging part of his front wing at the start, costing him some of the car’s balance and increasing the risk of tyre graining.
Stella believes the Madrid result highlighted several areas in which Piastri still needs to improve.
“Oscar needs to qualify better and try to stay closer to the podium. He needs to find even greater harmony with the MCL40.”
The McLaren team principal also suggested that Piastri can sometimes overthink situations while driving, which can slow down his decision-making.
“When he drives while thinking too much about what he is doing, his decisions become slower. We still expect to see a very strong Oscar in the second half of the season.”
Piastri remains a major part of McLaren’s challenge despite a difficult Madrid weekend, and his position relative to Norris and the championship leaders can be followed in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ standings.
McLaren leaves Madrid knowing the pace was there
Madrid therefore leaves McLaren with a particularly frustrating conclusion. The MCL40 had the performance required to fight for victory, and Norris had built the gap the team believed was necessary, yet the timing of the VSC removed that advantage through circumstances outside McLaren’s control.
Stella is not accusing race control of making the wrong decision. His argument is instead that Formula 1 may need to consider whether the regulations themselves can be refined so that the timing of a short VSC period has less potential to transform a race purely through chance.
Whether Formula 1 ultimately changes the rule remains to be seen. For McLaren, however, Madrid provided two very different messages: the MCL40 now appears capable of taking the fight to Mercedes on outright pace, but even the fastest car on the day cannot always overcome the unpredictable consequences of a perfectly timed—or badly timed—neutralisation.
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