McLaren staff principal Andrea Stella says the order of the ultimate pit stops that led to a tense ending to the Hungarian Grand Prix was to scale back the probabilities of a pit crew error proving expensive.
Lando Norris was operating second on the street to teammate Oscar Piastri – who had led from Flip 1 – however was given precedence to cease first for the ultimate stint of the race, with the highly effective undercut leading to him taking the lead. Norris debated with the staff earlier than giving the place again to Piastri within the closing phases, and with Norris having had a comparatively comfy buffer to Lewis Hamilton in third place Stella says it was one the staff didn’t need getting any smaller.
“We knew that by going first with Lando that would have been the state of affairs, however we wouldn’t have completed it if we weren’t positive that this may be fastened,” Stella mentioned. “I feel as a result of we’re on the Hungaroring and since it was so sizzling, there have been two variables that we actually needed to get proper.
“The primary one, we didn’t need to pit too early as a result of the tires have been degrading rather a lot and we didn’t need to run out of tires ought to [Max] Verstappen change into an issue on the finish of the race. And due to this fact, we simply needed to delay the pit cease as a lot as attainable.
“And the second ingredient is that you could have an issue on the pit cease, so you should go protected from a pit cease perspective. Do you need to pit solely when you will have three seconds [safety net]? As a result of then what occurs is that every one the strain goes on the pit crew. And I don’t need in a race [like that] that the duty goes to the pit crew.
“I’d relatively take the duty on the pitwall, safe the P1, P2 after which we handle the state of affairs between the pitwall and the drivers as a result of we discuss this example and we all know how we go about this example.”
Norris emerged from his ultimate cease over 4 seconds away from Hamilton, however Stella says an additional lap for Hamilton on contemporary tires would have made that hole smaller and added danger that wasn’t vital.
“I simply didn’t need to have a state of affairs on the pit cease the place there’s an issue with a nut, there’s an issue with the execution that places us behind a Mercedes or a Ferrari. We now have seen with Verstappen what can occur [colliding with Hamilton] and Verstappen would have had the tires a lot brisker than the blokes forward. So I feel we’d be speaking one thing else if that was the case prefer it occurred to Verstappen.
“So I do know that for the media, I do know that for watching on TV this turns into a narrative, however for us internally, this turns into a part of the best way we go racing. And that’s why we make investments a lot in tradition, in values, and within the mindset as a result of we wish to have the ability to handle this example if we need to be within the championship with Lando, with Oscar, and with McLaren.”
Stella additionally insists he was not offended at Norris for forcing the staff to ship a number of radio messages to persuade him to return the place to Piastri, as he says it exhibits the appropriate mentality however nonetheless ended with the end result the staff requested.
“As a result of he’s a race driver. Point out to me a race driver that will haven’t completed it? Really, I feel you’ll be able to point out to me many that will haven’t completed it till lap 70. And I’d be extraordinarily involved within the case of if Lando had not demonstrated ‘I’m a race driver right here’ as a result of that’s the ethos you should struggle onerous. It’s good to struggle if you end up in rivalry with the likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and increasingly, I suppose, Oscar himself.
“So he demonstrated the ethos, the spirit of the race driver, however, whereas it could possibly be one thing that’s entertaining to speak in regards to the controversial facet, it could be unfair to not discuss in regards to the decision which occurred in accordance with our approach of going racing.”
