Max Verstappen continues to rack up victories, taking crucial points from McLaren’s drivers. After the Dutchman’s win in Austin, Oscar Piastri holds a 40-point lead in the championship, while Lando Norris trails by 26 points. The presence of the four-time world champion looms large over the McLaren camp.
McLaren faced significant challenges from the Sprint Race, when a maneuver by Piastri unintentionally triggered a series of contacts that led to both MCL39s retiring after just one corner. Beyond the immediate loss of points, this incident deprived the team of valuable setup and tyre data that would have been crucial for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Despite Verstappen’s clear advantage, McLaren prefers to focus on the positives. Team principal Andrea Stella emphasized that looking at the race in detail, Lando Norris had the pace necessary to win.
The key obstacle preventing Norris from fighting for victory was the strong and effective defense by Charles Leclerc. Leclerc excelled in the opening stint to protect second place and remained tough throughout the race, only yielding the runner-up position a few laps from the finish. By that point, Norris had no chance of closing the eight-second gap to Verstappen, who had already pulled away.
Stella explained: “I think in terms of performance trends, today was relatively reassuring because, without having to battle with Charles — which was certainly a fun fight — Lando had the right pace to win the race. Of course, he needed to gain positions on track, which is never easy with Max.”
He added: “With a one-stop strategy, we wouldn’t necessarily have had many strategic opportunities. But in terms of pure performance, we can be confident that the pace was enough to compete for the win.”
Impact of the Sprint Race and Austin’s challenging track
Stella also confirmed that the double retirement in the Sprint Race affected their setup preparation for the main event. The MCL39s were raised slightly due to the bumpy nature of the Austin track, a factor that has always challenged teams. Despite these difficulties, the McLarens — particularly Norris — demonstrated they were competitive with Verstappen’s RB21 in certain types of track sections.
“As I explained to some of your colleagues, not completing the Sprint Race left us a bit behind in terms of setup,” Stella said. “Looking back, we can see that we could have extracted more performance from the car. But with new upgrades and parts, that won’t change for the rest of the season.”
Overall, McLaren’s message is one of cautious optimism. While Verstappen continues to take points, the pace shown by Norris in Austin highlights the team’s potential to challenge for victories when circumstances align.
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