Despite claiming a 1-2 victory in Hungary, McLaren are now the subject of heavy criticism. What should have been a straightforward result became a needlessly controversial saga between Norris and Piastri. However, team principal Andrea Stella believes the narrative surrounding McLaren is unfair.
Stella “very proud” of McLaren execution in Hungary
For the majority of 2024, the fastest car in F1 has belonged to McLaren.
Only a string of operational errors have prevented Andrea Stella’s team from claiming more victories this season.
These mistakes have helped Max Verstappen preserve Red Bull’s lead in the standings.
Luckily for McLaren, the equation after the opening sequence of the Hungarian GP was relatively simple.
Piastri led a comfortable 1-2 ahead of teammate Norris, which should have been held until the chequered flag.
However, McLaren made the baffling decision to undercut Piastri with Norris – allowing the British driver to jump the Australian.
This created a huge headache for the team, who needed several laps to convince the #4 car to let the #81 back past.
As a result, what should have been a celebratory moment for the team has become a case study of their indecisiveness.
Stella tries to change the narrative
According to Andrea Stella, however, McLaren had the correct approach:
“I played it safe. I wanted to make sure we had a pit stop margin of three seconds,” nos.nl quotes him as saying.
“No extra stress for the pit crew in such a tough race. We have missed a lot of opportunities this season.
“My decision was to secure the 1-2 first and then decide the finishing order.
“I absolutely wanted to avoid something going wrong with a wheel nut or something – and ending up behind Ferrari or Mercedes and screwing it up.
“You saw with Max Verstappen what happens when you make wrong decisions.
“We can talk endlessly about the controversy, but I don’t think that’s fair. You also have to look at the way we solved it.
“I’m very proud of that. And if we have a chance to dethrone Verstappen later this season?
“Then I know that my drivers will help each other. We have laid the foundation for that with this victory.”
Unsurprisingly, the McLaren team principal dismissed the common narrative emerging post-race.
The Italian engineer wants to shift the public’s focus from the team’s misjudgement to their 1-2 finish.
However, his comments are overly complimentary to what became an unnecessarily painful experience for the team and drivers.
For some time now, the F1 world has deliberated on whether McLaren are capable of challenging Red Bull for the Championship.
Despite winning in Hungary, this sentiment is likely stronger than ever.
