With Max Verstappen on the verge of a fourth championship, McLaren are left to lick their wounds and analyse their season. Despite having the fastest car in 2024, McLaren have failed to capitalise. According to Andrea Stella, there were two decisive moments in the title race.
Verstappen beyond reach for Norris
Norris and McLaren have spent the majority of 2024 playing catch-up.
After dominating the first five rounds of the year, Red Bull slowly lost ground in the development race.
This forced Max Verstappen into damage limitation, going 10 races without a win until last weekend’s landmark victory in Brazil.
However, whilst race wins have often been out of reach for Verstappen, the Dutchman’s consistency allowed him to maintain his advantage over Norris.
There were several opportunities for Norris and McLaren to seize the initiative in the title race – but a series of unforced errors prevented this from happening.
Stella: Austria and COTA were crucial for McLaren
From Andrea Stella’s perspective, two races were detrimental to Norris’ title charge.
The McLaren team principal explains why the Austrian and US GP became pivotal moments in the Championship:
“I think we got some learning, for instance, from Austria. We got a little too close.
“And the points we’re missing from Austria, because of having had a proper collision and then being knocked out of the race, are points that we regret.
“We don’t really regret many other points in this season.
“Potentially the one in Austin, where we still believe that the final classification isn’t correct [after Norris received a five-second penalty after his Verstappen overtake].
“But we respect the work of the stewards. We have tried with a right of review to find some correction of the situation that happened in Austin. This didn’t happen. We move on.”
An in-depth analysis of McLaren’s season reveals that several problems prevented Norris from overtaking Verstappen in the standings.
Strategic mistakes, operational incompetence and driver error all played a role. For Verstappen to have a 62-point advantage is evidence that significant improvement is necessary to fight for the drivers’ title.
Things will only become more difficult in 2025, when Ferrari are likely to continue their strong development trajectory and fight for the title.
Because of this rising competition, Andrea Stella must ensure that unforced errors no longer become a limiting factor for the Woking-based team.
This year was McLaren’s chance to capitalise on having – at least for most of the season – the best machinery.
Looking ahead to next season and beyond, securing either F1 title will become a huge challenge.
