Stella says McLaren still awaits “compensation” for Norris’s Madrid loss

Andrea Stella says McLaren is still waiting for payback for Lando Norris’s lost victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. He returned to the episode after the United States Grand Prix, where Norris finished fifth, 30 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli.

“We are still waiting for compensation for what happened in Madrid? It will come,” said Stella.

Norris had started from pole in Madrid but lost the win to Antonelli after a virtual safety car came at a damaging moment for McLaren. In Austin, McLaren chose a one-stop strategy instead of the conventional two-stop, hoping to gain from a safety car that never came.

Stella said McLaren had been catching the two Ferraris and Max Verstappen in the second stint. He believed a two-stop would leave McLaren behind, while the one-stop offered a chance to benefit from a safety car. Norris had qualified eighth, a second off Antonelli’s pole time, before recovering in the race.

Stella said the team was happy with its strategy execution and that the upgrades seemed to have improved the car. He added that McLaren still needed stronger qualifying and further development to challenge consistently for podiums and, above all, wins.