Stella says Norris's adaptability shaped McLaren's US GP swap

McLaren's decision to let Lando Norris pass Oscar Piastri on lap eight of the United States Grand Prix had been discussed before the race, team principal Andrea Stella said afterwards. If Norris was behind Piastri and the Australian could not keep pace with the cars ahead, McLaren would give Norris a chance to attack, he said.

Piastri was asked to yield at the Circuit of The Americas, and Norris passed him at Turn 1. Norris finished fifth, with Piastri seventh.

Stella said Norris had looked slightly faster over the weekend. He contrasted Norris's ability to adapt to changing conditions, especially when the car slides, with Piastri's strength in building lap by lap once he has established reference points. Stella said that with every lap different in Austin, the conditions challenged Piastri and suited Norris's adaptability.

Over the first seven laps, Piastri lost an average of 0.997 seconds per lap to race leader Kimi Antonelli, with lap one excluded; George Russell was also pulling away from him by about two tenths per lap. Norris then pulled away by four seconds in seven laps.

Stella also linked the order to McLaren's wider push after the Singapore sprint collision. He said the team needed to return to the front together before managing the rivalry between its drivers.