Andrea Stella calls Lando Norris’s brake problem during the Chinese Grand Prix « unacceptable »
At the Chinese Grand Prix, Lando Norris struggled with a braking problem that almost compromised his race. Despite the pressure, he finished second, but Andrea Stella insisted that these reliability failures were no longer tolerable.
The Chinese Grand Prix nearly turned into a fiasco for McLaren. While Lando Norris was battling for second place against his teammate Oscar Piastri, an unexpected brake issue disrupted his race. As the race in Shanghai entered its final stages, the British driver was forced to slow down significantly, with the braking system of his McLaren MCL 39 no longer responding as expected. This allowed Mercedes driver George Russell to close the gap dangerously to under 1.3 seconds.
Fortunately, thanks to his smart handling of the situation, Norris managed to hold position and finished in second place, behind Piastri. Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, did not hesitate to call the situation « an unacceptable issue ».
A high-pressure crisis management
During the last 20 laps, the McLaren team was on high alert. « We were tense on the pit wall because we had the issue with Lando’s car and the brakes, which we had to manage over the final 20 laps », Andrea Stella told the media. A major challenge that left no one indifferent among the technical team. It’s a miracle that Norris was able to keep driving at a competitive pace despite a car that was gradually deteriorating.
The team’s work and Norris‘s crisis management were praised by Stella: « Lando and the team did a very good job staying in the loop on how to adapt the driving style to this kind of issue, which worsened during the race and put the entire result at risk. »
A reliability problem that won’t be overlooked
Despite McLaren‘s podium finish, Andrea Stella insisted that such reliability issues are simply not acceptable. « It’s obviously not acceptable from a reliability standpoint and we need to do better », he stated. For McLaren, this kind of technical failure must not happen again if the team is to aim for consistent and competitive results.
« But we can’t have problems that put this kind of result in jeopardy », added Stella. A remark that underlines how crucial reliability is at the highest level of competition. If McLaren wants to compete at the top, they’ll need flawless machinery with no technical failures during races.
Lando Norris: a brilliant adaptation nonetheless
Despite the challenges, Lando Norris demonstrated impressive resilience. « Lando was very good at adapting to certain tyre behaviours and car characteristics that were not ideal for him », said Andrea Stella. This kind of situation highlighted not only Norris‘s adaptability but also his race intelligence. He managed to regroup and find on-the-fly solutions to stay cool-headed and finish on the podium.
« He found his way through, and without the brake issue, it would have been an interesting final part of the race », added Stella. McLaren now intends to resolve these technical issues so the team can aim even higher in the upcoming Grand Prix.
