Since Lando Norris capitalised on a timely Safety Car appearance in Miami to take his first win, McLaren have missed five further shots at victory.
Team principal Andrea Stella regards these “near misses” are a kind “good news” as they show how much more competitive the team has become. “We didn’t have these kind of near-misses until 12 months ago.”
But he’s well aware the lost points are beginning to pile up. They could have beaten Max Verstappen to pole position at Imola and won there. Norris lost his advantage from pole position in Spain and tangled with Verstappen in Austria. Tactical calls have frustrated them too – the missed chance to pit in Canada and the wrong tyre choice for Norris last weekend.
Even so, the team has 295 points after 12 rounds, almost triple the 103 it had at this stage last year. Stella, who has been widely praised for the success he has achieved through his calm, rational approach to running McLaren, said the team must not overlook how well it has done while seeking the final improvements needed to realise their potential of becoming regular winners.
“We need to look at the positives,” he told media including RaceFans on Sunday at Silverstone. “We need to look at the fact that the team is in a condition to be frustrated today because we are P3 in the podium with the other driver P4 and once again the team that scored more points.”
Though Norris was visibly despondent at missing out on a potential home win, the team still celebrated its third and fourth places at Silverstone.”
“If we don’t start from the positives from the building side, we are going to be the ones that build and destroy,” Stella explained. “‘Build and destroy’ will stay always at the same level. So this is the responsibility for everyone.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
The incorrect choice of tyre for Norris’ final stint was one of two moments in which McLaren potentially threw victory away last weekend. His team mate Oscar Piastri was breathing down his neck when they made their first pit stops, but McLaren’s decision to leave him out one lap longer instead of ‘double stacking’ their cars and service both compromised him badly.
Stella admitted the team were reluctant to pit both drivers at once because it would cost Piastri time. “I think we were a little greedy that we didn’t want to accept that we would have lost…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…