McLaren boss Andrea Stella admitted that problems with the car’s “nervousness in low speed” inspired Oscar Piastri’s struggles at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Piastri’s impressive start to the campaign endured a minor stumble in Monte Carlo as he ended up being second best to Lando Norris throughout the whole weekend.
The Australian was unable to rival the scintillating lap that handed Norris pole position and he finished where he started in third as the top three remained unchanged.
Piastri admitted that he had encountered difficulties with optimising the balance of his car as he qualified outside the top three for just the second time in eight races.
Stella has elaborated on Piastri’s troubles, citing the championship leader was hampered by the MCL39’s instability in lower cornering speed ranges more than Norris.
“Lando has definitely been very fast. Like I said before, he started pretty much from the first lap in Free Practice 1,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think with Oscar we have had spells of very strong speed. Spells, if you say it like this, like moments of very strong speed.
“But if anything, this year, unlike last year, for instance, Oscar struggled to keep the rhythm.
“At times, he struggled a bit with the car, especially with some nervousness of the car in low speed.
“This is why, even in qualifying, it took him a little bit of time to build the proper speed, and he stepped a little one step behind compared to the full potential that he could have expressed.
“So, more than the absolute speed, it’s the consistency of the speed that I think he missed throughout the weekend.
“I think there’s a few things that we need to review on Oscar’s side, but overall, a very positive weekend.
“We always say, with both Lando and Oscar, that championships are made of consistency.
“So, when you cannot be as fast as you want, stay there. Sometimes you will not be able to win, but stay there and this is ultimately what Oscar has been able to make.”
Did McLaren miss opportunities to land 1-2?
Stella denied that Piastri was ever in a position where McLaren could’ve capitalised on the mandated two-stop rule at this year’s race to pass Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Asked whether McLaren missed opportunities to turn the result into a maximum points haul, the Italian responded: “I have to say we need to look into that.
“Because to be a 1-2, there should have been phases in which Oscar needed to have enough pace to close on Leclerc.
“And once you are in the gearbox of Leclerc, then you can think about options. But we were always a little too far from Leclerc to think about options with Oscar.
“So, despite the race being more complicated than a normal Monte Carlo race, actually, I think for the first three, there weren’t many options to change the order.”
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