McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has downplayed the impact of a battery deployment “anomaly” during the restart of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, insisting it was not a decisive factor in Lando Norris losing out to team-mate Oscar Piastri for the win.
The British driver was passed by Piastri on Lap 5 of the Grand Prix after the FIA called a rolling start after an initial 80-minute delay to the proceedings.
A slide out of Turn 1 comprised his run up Eau Rouge and onto the Kemmel Straight before the championship leader soared into the race lead and never looked back.
In the aftermath of being overtaken, Norris took to the radio to ask if his battery deployment was working, as he dropped a full second off Piastri before closing back in.
The team quickly confirmed that the issue had been rectified, and Stella went into details after the race as to why it ultimately didn’t cost him the victory at Spa-Francorchamps.
“In reality, when it comes to the usage of the battery at the restart, I understand that there was a slight anomaly which actually happened on both sides,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So, nothing that should have penalised Lando in particular compared to Oscar.
“Still checking the data, but this is the initial feedback I received.
“So, I think the overtaking ultimately came because it’s very difficult for the car that leads the pack to actually arrive first in corner five.
“It’s not impossible, but it does require to have a decent advantage as you cross the finish line, which was not the case for Lando already at the restart.”
Piastri went on to convert his crucial move at the start for his sixth victory of the season and extend his lead in the championship to 16 points.
Small errors, big cost: Norris falls short in tense McLaren duel
A combination of factors ultimately denied Norris a third consecutive victory following his wins in Austria and Silverstone.
At the crossover point, McLaren opted against double-stacking due to the close proximity of its drivers on track, with Norris staying out for an extra lap while Piastri pitted.
The Australian gained time on the dry tyres, and when Norris eventually came in, a slow stop dropped him nine seconds behind.
Norris then gambled on the Hard compound, hoping Piastri’s Mediums would fade before the finish, but the tyres held on.
As Norris began to reel in his team-mate, a series of mistakes on the more durable rubber halted his charge.
He lost over a second with an off at Pouhon on Lap 26, locked up at Turn 1 a few laps later, and suffered another lock-up at the same corner when just three seconds off Piastri.
But Stella refused to criticise his driver, pointing instead to the tricky conditions and the fine margins when pushing at the limit.
“Lando had a couple of lock-ups in corner 1 and also a little oversteer in corner 9 that cost him time,” he added.
“I think this, overall, prevented us from having an interesting battle, possibly, at the end. But in fairness, even Oscar had a couple of times in corner 1, a little bit of a time loss.
“It’s very difficult when you push so much in these conditions. It’s very difficult to always drive within the limit of the grip, and also it’s not easy to always keep the car on the racing line where you have the maximum grip, considering that you can lose it very rapidly because of the track being still a little damp.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri feared rolling start could have ‘taken away’ F1 Belgian GP victory
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