Andrea Stella wanted to congratulate Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for their behavior during their intense duel at the Hungarian Grand Prix: despite several tense exchanges on the radio, he believes that his two drivers delivered a great battle, never crossing the line.
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The Hungaroring offered the most contested internal confrontation of the season at McLaren. After a mistake in the second corner at the start, Norris managed to catch up with his teammate before finally taking the lead.
Piastri’s hopes of victory then vanished when a gearbox problem compromised his end of the race.
“A clean and respectful battle”
Although the Australian expressed his frustration on the radio after several setbacks, Stella revealed that his driver retracted his comments as soon as he returned to the garage: “Immediately after the race, Oscar clarified that his comments were made in the heat of the moment. What happened today, in the way the race unfolded and in the battle between the two McLaren drivers, was totally fair. It was a very good race.”
The McLaren boss was particularly pleased with the behavior of his two drivers: “From this point of view, we are very happy with what we saw today. Both drivers had their opportunities in the first and second corners.”
He especially emphasizes the respect they showed: “I am very satisfied with their approach. They fought each other with a lot of respect, avoiding any contact. Ultimately, Oscar took the advantage because he better assessed the grip level in the second corner. From that moment on, he had all the cards in hand to win the race.”
A strategy disrupted by an incident
Piastri stayed in the lead until the first wave of pit stops, before the race shifted. McLaren decided to bring the Australian in to protect against a possible strategy from Lewis Hamilton. But this choice lost its effectiveness when Piastri was delayed after a clash with Carlos Sainz, whom he was trying to lap.
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Andrea Stella assures that this strategic decision had nothing to do with any favoritism towards Norris: “At some point, we had to cover Hamilton, because on this circuit you cannot afford to give up any position. Then, several unfortunate events occurred.”
The McLaren team principal believes the incident with Sainz played a decisive role: “The most important thing is obviously the collision with a backmarker. According to the information I have, the blue light panels were not working properly. This probably made the situation more difficult for the lapped drivers. Carlos is a very fair driver and I am convinced it was totally unintentional. It’s simply very unfortunate for Oscar.”
A understandable frustration
Stella fully understands his driver’s reaction on the radio: “It is completely understandable. When you lead the race for nearly half the event and then lose the lead because of an incident with a backmarker, it is normal to have a moment of anger. But there is absolutely no problem between us from this point of view.”
Once free on a clear track, Lando Norris fully exploited the upgrades brought to the MCL40 to extend the gap: “As soon as Lando found himself with a clear track, his pace was simply exceptional. He was gaining about half a second per lap. That’s what allowed him to maintain the advantage after his pit stop.”
Andrea Stella sees in this race a demonstration of the maturity of his drivers: “For me, this is exactly what a good race is, a smart and sophisticated race. And the good news is that our two drivers are now capable of fighting for the win or the podium.”
Beyond Lando Norris’s first win of the season, McLaren leaves Budapest satisfied to have seen its two title contenders battle intensely while maintaining the mutual respect that Stella considers essential to the team’s success.
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