Source: REUTERS/Florion Goga
[Saba Sports News] When Lando Norris fitted brand-new soft tires in the final stages of the Emilia Romagna race, fans worldwide were looking forward to a reversal spectacle. However, after the race, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella admitted: “From the moment Max Verstappen overtook in the first lap, the victory was no longer in doubt.” Stella admitted that the team tried all possible plans but could never match the speed of Red Bull cars. Stella’s confession unveiled the helpless truth behind McLaren’s strategy controversy. The fate of the race was sealed at the start – Oscar Piastri, starting from pole position, was aggressively overtaken by Verstappen in Turn 1, which completely disrupted McLaren’s battle plan. Even though Norris later gained a tire advantage, overtaking required a 0.7-0.8-second gap, which was impossible. Meanwhile, Stella explained that Piastri’s early pit stop decision was actually forced because his tires had severely degraded, and the performance of the hard tires fell far short of expectations, leaving the Australian rookie trapped in the pack after changing tires. This battle revealed the essential gap between McLaren and Red Bull – even with a car of comparable speed, the Dutch driver’s control of the race remained unsolvable.