Miami Grand Prix winner Lando Norris benefited from a full upgrade package for his McLaren MCL38, but teammate Oscar Piastri found that advantage negated in one lap.
Norris grabbed the headlines in Miami by winning his first F1 race, but it was teammate Piastri who shone in his first stint, with the Australian keeping the pressure on race leader Max Verstappen. Fifth win of the season.
The difference in qualifying between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris is smaller than the difference in package.
Piastri finished within a tenth of Norris in qualifying and a quick start to the Miami Grand Prix race gave him a chance to move into second place. The timing of the safety car late in the race was ideal for Norris, but not for Piastri. A reversal of fortune for the McLaren driver.
However, Piastri’s race weekend performance was highly noted by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, who revealed that the gap between Piastri and Norris in qualifying was smaller than what the upgrades should have created. Norris revealed that once he got his hands on the fully upgraded MCL38, it gave him something to think about. The upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
“Oscar comes out because [Miami] I became more aware of my strengths as a driver,” Stella said.
“We already knew how fast he was in one lap.
“When you think about the fact that he didn’t have the full package, with all due respect to Oscar, the difference to Lando in qualifying was smaller than the difference in the package he had.
“So, just like any other driver on soft tyres, he had a strong performance in one lap, even in very difficult conditions.
“His performance in the race was once again very strong.
“Landor said something very nice before. He said he saw Oscar pass the Ferrari and thought, “Wow, I’m really there.”
“So it was a realization for Rand himself. And Oscar was able to maintain a strong pace in the first stint.
“So I think he’ll come out of there.” [Miami] This kind of belief is something we wanted to improve on, especially in terms of race pace, looking at Japan and China.
“For me, he’s in a very strong position.”
Learn more about Lando Norris McLaren’s shock win in Miami
👉 “You can’t beat a legend” – F1 boss’ unique take on Max Verstappen after Lando Norris’ shock win
👉 What McLaren needs to prove a ‘real threat’ to Red Bull after Miami win
Stella explained to the media at the Miami Grand Prix exactly how the MCL38 package run by Piastri and Norris is different, and the good news for McLaren is that they brought it to the Miami International Autodrome ahead of schedule and the upgrades are in line with expectations. I admitted that it worked.
“First of all, let me clarify that both cars have been upgraded compared to the specifications in China,” Stella said.
“For Oscar, we upgraded the front of the car with the front wing, front brake ducts, front suspension, rear brake ducts and part of the rear suspension.
“For Land, we also prepared side pods and a floor.
“So from a lap time perspective, both cars have actually improved compared to China.
“According to the data, all the upgrades work as expected. So we can see that Land’s car performs a little better than Oscar’s car. And all the sensors, especially the front wing You can see that the pressure sensors on the , and even the sensors on the suspension, behave as expected.
“So, once again, I think it’s a testament to the good work of not only the aerodynamics department, but also the design and all the people who took part in creating these upgrades and delivering them to the trucks in advance, because in Imola this actually Because we thought it was possible.” But we managed to earn a few weeks. ”
All eyes are now on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola to see if Red Bull, who have dominated the ground effects era of F1, will face off against a real challenger in McLaren.
Read next: Ricardo or Lawson in Imola?Helmut Marko shares paddock gossip about driver change
