The Jeddah Grand Prix was eagerly anticipated by many as the perfect track to pressure McLaren and try to exploit a circuit where the MCL39 would likely perform less well. However, as George Russell put it, “On circuits where they are strong, they can dominate, and where they may be weak, they still fight for pole position and victory,” referring to what was seen in Suzuka and then Jeddah. Two tracks, with specific conditions, asphalt, and characteristics, allowed rivals to challenge, but the constant has been the competitiveness of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, things didn’t go perfectly in Saudi Arabia, confirming Andrea Stella’s fears of fierce competition and the need for everything to be flawless throughout the weekend for a good result.
Norris Pays for Mistakes and Loses World Championship Lead; Piastri Surprises Verstappen with a Max-Like Maneuver
From the start of the season, it was clear that the MCL39 had championship potential. Red Bull has not yet resolved its issues (though they are beginning to), Mercedes has made significant progress, but not enough, and Ferrari is hampered by problems from a project that is too revolutionary and ambitious, not yet yielding results (with limitations regarding ride heights hampering the SF-25). It was therefore up to the team, the pit wall, and the drivers to perform at a world-class level. Clearly, there is still much to work on in this area. Regarding the pit wall, we saw early on, particularly in Suzuka, a more conservative strategy aimed at protecting the Constructors’ Championship, not trying to steal a victory from Max Verstappen, who remains the main competitor in the Drivers’ Championship.
The management of the two drivers has been relatively neutral so far, trying to avoid confrontation and maximize points for the team without too many risks. The Team CEO, Zak Brown, is confident that there will come a time when the two drivers clash, but he is not worried about the repercussions. “We are putting them in a position to give their best, and I’m sure we will see some exciting duels. It’s just a matter of time, but I’m sure it will be on track, with respect, and it will be a great spectacle for everyone!”
Up to now, however, as Andrea Stella stated, the priority remains the team: “We don’t yet have a significant gap to our rivals, and we need to focus first on beating them.” In this sense, the drivers will need to maximize the potential offered by the MCL39. Oscar Piastri had his first setback at the season opener in Australia, with a mistake in a tense moment of the race, due to changing conditions, failing to secure a McLaren one-two and almost missing out on points. Since then, the Australian has impressed with his speed, consistency, and composure. In the most recent GP, he took the lead in the championship and did so after an impressive move at the start, passing Max Verstappen in a manner typical of the four-time world champion. By taking the inside line, he had the right to the racing line, slightly pushing the Dutchman out and forcing him off track, leading to a penalty for Verstappen, which many felt was excessive (including Christian Horner, who presented a solid defense post-race).
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal, also commented on the incident: “The situation at the start was similar to what happened in Bahrain between Lando and Lewis. Even though Hamilton took us off track, we instructed our driver to give the position back. Oscar, thanks to a good start, took the inside line, was ahead, and stayed within track limits. He had the right to the line, and of course, passing by going off-track is not allowed.” After the pass, Piastri didn’t relinquish the lead except during pit stops, managing the race and maintaining a gap to his rival until the finish. However, for the first time, McLaren didn’t have a safety margin in terms of performance, and Verstappen-Red Bull was very close, if not equal.
On the other hand, Lando Norris paid the price for a significant error in qualifying. The Englishman seemed to be in better form than his teammate in Jeddah, which wasn’t a surprise. The two have very different driving styles, with Norris excelling in faster sections and Oscar Piastri in slower ones. Therefore, the Saudi Arabian track was more favorable to Norris, as indicated by the data up to that point. This made the error particularly costly, especially as with such evolved and sensitive cars, qualifying has once again become crucial for the race, and the MCL39 loses performance in traffic, making it harder to recover. In the race, Norris also risked a penalty while entering and exiting the pit lane and lost valuable time in a battle with Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion used his experience and, despite difficulties, fought with Norris, causing him to lose precious time, which likely played a crucial role in allowing Charles Leclerc to claim a podium and stopping Norris’ charge to fourth place. “Yes, probably Lando lost the podium at that moment. Lewis obviously knows how to race on track, and Lando needed a few laps to realize he needed to make the move towards turn 1. However, he had a good race, and as he knows, he just needs to improve a little on Saturdays,” Stella stated after the race. Hamilton’s defense wasn’t futile, as these cars now suffer a lot from slipstream, and Norris risked damaging his tires, which could have ruined his race with unsuccessful overtaking attempts.
McLaren’s First Developments Delayed. The MCL39 Didn’t Have the Updated Diffuser: Here’s Why
McLaren is undoubtedly the technical benchmark, but that doesn’t mean they can rest on their laurels. Andrea Stella is well aware of this, which is why updates are planned for the car, aimed at solving some of the limitations seen on track, like the driving difficulties particularly Lando Norris has complained about. However, a significant change was introduced in Jeddah: a modified diffuser, a crucial and delicate part of the car for performance.
The new specification was shown in the pit lane and used during free practice, but it was then shelved for qualifying. Neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri used the updated diffuser, instead returning to the specification used in the first four races of the season. Removing a development from the car could be an early warning sign for McLaren. Many hope that with the cars reaching the development limit, McLaren will be one of the teams less likely to find additional performance gains with new parts. McLaren described it as a “test item,” but it could also be the first “signal” for rivals to exploit. A tested update that hasn’t been confirmed is never a good sign.
Last year, we saw an extreme example with Ferrari introducing a floor for correlation in view of 2025, with positive results that led to its use despite not being planned. The team could have still used the new diffuser in Jeddah, but chose not to. Were the data unconvincing? The team hasn’t confirmed. Miami will give the first answers: we’ll see if this initial update for the MCL39 will be reintroduced during a Sprint weekend, if it will appear in Imola for further data collection, or if it will be shelved, confirming a first misstep in terms of updates this season.
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