McLaren denies Norris start altered Spain F1 strategic choice

McLaren has denied Lando Norris losing track position to Max Verstappen on the first lap in Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix prompted its alternative strategic choice.

Norris lined up on pole position, but he slipped to third on the opening lap as he ended up getting sandwiched between Max Verstappen’ and George Russell at Turn 1.

While Verstappen was able to surge past Russell using DRS on the start-finish straight on Lap 3, Norris spent the entire nascent exchanges tailing the Mercedes’ rear.

With Verstappen having opened up a seven-second gap at the sharp end, McLaren elected to keep Norris out on track an additional six laps compared to the Red Bull.

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The Woking-based squad would repeat that to a lesser extent at the second stop as Norris emerged on Lap 47 with three laps newer tyres to chase down Verstappen.

Norris ended up 2.2 seconds back from catching the Dutchman, but Stella has explained how the Briton squandering a position at the start didn’t change its approach.

“I think we would have done exactly the same strategy even leading,” Stella said. “Because we are in Barcelona. In Monaco we would have done a different strategy.

“We were very surprised when we saw people go in [the pitlane] Lap 16, 17. For me that’s a bit of self-inflicted pain at this circuit, no?

“Because the degradation is so high, overtaking is easy. So actually, we thought this is going to bring us back in the race.

“And we went for our race, which we just lost a little bit too long behind Russell at the start. Otherwise, the race would have come to us at the end of the 66 laps.”

McLaren’s strategist team received criticism post-Canada as split-second indecision under a Safete Car period cost Norris the lead in that race and a potential victory.

However, Stella has underlined that the group should be praised for not being persuaded to shift from their original plan when other teams pitted earlier than expected.

“So actually, I would like to praise the good work of our strategists,” he added. “Because somehow this is what we had in mind.

“And it sort of unfolded the way we thought it would. Should people just feel the pressure to go and pit?

“Obviously sometimes the pressure to go and pit depends on how you use your tyres.

“And sometimes you just have to pit, if that makes sense. But here it can be very costly if you start pitting too early.”

Norris’ sixth podium this term and team mate Oscar Piastri’s seventh place has seen McLaren close to 33 points behind second-placed Ferrari in the championship.