The director of the McLaren team, Andrea Stella, has admitted that the team made a mistake in its decision regarding the tire change at the Bahrain GP, which recently took place at the Sepang circuit. The erroneous decision affected both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were forced to fight from the back of the grid.
Norris, who had qualified in sixth position, started with medium tires, while other teams like Red Bull and Mercedes opted for soft tires. McLaren believed that the track would dry out quickly enough, but the track conditions turned out to be more complicated than anticipated.
Piastri was the first of the two to enter the pits at the end of the first lap, switching to intermediate tires to mitigate losses. In contrast, Norris decided to continue with slick tires, which did not provide the expected level of grip on a still wet track.
According to Stella, the most complicated moment for the team was at the start of the race when the uncertainty about the choice between intermediate and slick tires generated confusion. “From the observations we made, it seemed that the dry tires activated quickly, but it turned out that they took longer than expected,” he explained.
Regarding why Piastri chose to change while Norris did not, Stella pointed out that the decision was not made simply. “We have to acknowledge that the tire choice was uncertain, and we mistakenly thought that the dry tires would be more efficient in a short time,” he noted. The situation led to a significant time loss for both drivers.
After the race, Norris reflected on the decision made, acknowledging that his initial choice to stay with medium tires was influenced by the team’s stance. “It seemed like a risk, but the team convinced me it was the best option,” Norris said. In the end, he finished the race in ninth position, working hard to regain positions after a safety car.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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