Andrea Stella had not arrived at Suzuka expecting a breakthrough, but on Sunday evening, the McLaren boss was wondering if his team had come close to achieving something exceptional.
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Because for a brief moment, as fascinating as it was frustrating during the Japanese Grand Prix, it wasn’t Mercedes dictating the pace… but McLaren. And even Stella admits that it was a surprise.
After a difficult start to the 2026 season, McLaren finally managed a clean weekend. Both cars started and finished, and one of them, driven by Oscar Piastri, seemed capable of winning.
Unexpected pace
“We were able to start with two cars, which is a first this year, and we were able to finish the Grand Prix, Stella said. We confirmed the progress seen in qualifying, progress that allowed Oscar to lead the race after a very good start.”
“We were surprised ourselves, especially at the end of the first stint, where not only did we manage to keep Russell behind, but we were also widening the gap,” the Italian added.
For a team that hadn’t even managed to make it to the grid in China, leading and controlling the race at Suzuka felt almost surreal: “So we thought we had to pit first to keep the lead, because we wanted to try to win the race.”
A decision – pitting early to protect track position – aggressive, deliberate… but ultimately very poorly timed.
The safety car that changed everything
Only one lap after McLaren committed to its strategy, the race flipped. A safety car – triggered by a violent accident elsewhere on the track – offered a golden opportunity to Kimi Antonelli, who took the lead thanks to a perfectly timed pit stop.
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From then on, the dynamic reversed. Piastri, despite a good restart, found himself in a chasing position rather than in control. And Antonelli, in clean air, pulled away. The question remains: without this intervention, could McLaren have held on?
Stella himself remains measured: “We will never know if, without the Safety Car, it would have been possible to win or not. I think it was possible against George Russell, because we saw that he was struggling to overtake, even the Ferraris. Today, McLaren and Ferrari had a similar pace.”
But against Antonelli, realism takes over: “Kimi had a faster pace than everyone else. So at some point, he would have been in the fight for the win. We will never know if Oscar could have won. In the end, it doesn’t change much. We have to take away the positives.”
A striking performance from Piastri
Behind the strategic scenarios, Piastri’s performance remains central. After a complicated start to the season, the Australian delivered much more than a podium: a true confirmation of his potential, combining control and solidity.
“There are many positives for Oscar, Stella continued. He has driven very well since the start of the season. It’s a shame he hasn’t been able to show it until now. Today, he had the opportunity and he took it.”
And that is perhaps the main point: McLaren may not have won at Suzuka, but for the first time in 2026, the world champion team showed that it could truly fight for victory.
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