A podium-capable car means little when a team spends 71 laps trapped in dirty air, which proved to be the harsh reality for McLaren at the Mexico City Grand Prix. A difficult Saturday qualifying session left the Woking garage on the back foot, negating the raw race pace of their machinery because the thin high-altitude air makes cooling difficult and overtaking nearly impossible.
The Cost of Dirty Air
Lando Norris spent his entire afternoon stuck in a DRS train, burning up his tyres in the turbulent wake of his rivals. Team principal Andrea Stella explained after the race that the event confirmed they had the potential to finish on the podium, but they paid the price for their starting grid positions and technical limitations on that track.
Stella joked about just how agonising the stint was for his lead driver, stating that with all the time Norris spent in the slipstream behind George Russell and Charles Leclerc, he could draw the rear of their cars with his eyes closed.
A Harsh Penalty for Oscar Piastri
The afternoon was equally frustrating on the other side of the garage, where Oscar Piastri was executing a recovery drive through the midfield before a tangle with Arvid Lindblad halted his progress. The FIA stewards investigated the contact and issued a time penalty to the Australian driver, costing the team crucial points.
Stella lamented that the harsh penalty received for the contact cost them further valuable points, calling it a real shame because Piastri had staged a good comeback.
The Battle With Red Bull
Those dropped points carry massive weight as McLaren is locked in a high-stakes fight with Red Bull Racing for third place in the Constructors’ Championship. With McLaren trailing the Milton Keynes squad by 17 points heading into the final leg of the triple-header, Stella is preparing to bring upgrades to Brazil to close the gap.
Stella admitted that in their battle with Red Bull, they could only limit the damage after a qualifying session that put them in a difficult position. He expressed belief that with the pace shown and upcoming upgrades, they have every chance of making up the 17-point deficit.
To eclipse Red Bull at Interlagos and secure third place, Stella warned that the team must operate with perfection in every respect.
