Follow usMcLaren team principal Andrea Stella has stressed that pit stops must become a key focus for the team after back-to-back problems cost Lando Norris valuable ground in the Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.
At Monza, a bad front-left tyre change dropped Norris behind teammate Oscar Piastri in the pit lane, forcing the team to reverse positions later on. In Baku, a wheel nut issue on the front-right again slowed Norris, with Stella estimating the delay may have cost as many as two places and up to four championship points.
🚨 | McLaren are working to improve their pit-stops, says Andrea Stella:
“Both in terms of execution of pit-stops, but also in terms of the hardware…
“There are still some interactions between the operator and hardware that need to be improved.”
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“Definitely in terms of pit stops, that’s an area in which we have already concentrated our efforts,” Stella admitted. “We need to keep working because there’s important performance available through pit stops. Racing is getting tighter and tighter, so the impact of a pit stop now is more important than ever.”
The Italian explained that the team is targeting improvements both in execution and in equipment design. “For the remainder of the season and also looking ahead to next year’s car, there’s work to do — both in terms of how we execute pit stops and in ensuring the hardware makes the process more straightforward for our crew,” he said. “There are still interactions between the operator and the hardware that should be improved.”
Stella clarified that the Monza and Baku mishaps were unrelated, but admitted they highlight a wider weakness. “This one [in Baku] was definitely more to do with the interaction between the operator and the gunning,” he noted. “From a hardware point of view, we are not optimising. This isn’t because we didn’t want to, but because you learn on the way. We know there’s room for improvement in the equipment and on the car side, so that we can make life easier for our pit crew.”
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