Andrea Stella, team principal of McLaren, explained how a misjudgment of track conditions led to a strategic error at the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.
Despite a dry and rough track surface, which normally favors slick tires, the track was actually too wet for the medium tires chosen by McLaren for both drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. This decision initially seemed logical but ultimately proved incorrect.
Stella specified that the dry tires took more laps than expected to become effective, causing Norris and Piastri to lose valuable time. Piastri took the initiative to switch to intermediate tires at the end of the second formation lap, sacrificing his grid position but quickly regaining ground.
This error contributed to a disappointing result for McLaren, with Piastri finishing 6th and Norris 9th, far from the team’s expectations following an already challenging Azerbaijan Grand Prix.