Having a podium-capable machine means very little when you spend 71 laps trapped in dirty air, and as Motorsport.com reports, that was the brutal reality for McLaren at the Mexico City Grand Prix. A rough Saturday qualifying session left the Woking garage entirely on the back foot, erasing the raw race pace of their car. Because the thin air at high altitude turns cooling into a nightmare and makes following another car aerodynamically nearly impossible, track position is everything in Mexico.
Lando Norris spent his entire afternoon stuck in a DRS train, burning through his tyres in the turbulent wake of his rivals. Team principal Andrea Stella did not hide how agonizing the stint was for his lead driver, who spent the race staring directly at gearboxes.
We have 17 points to make up, but I believe that with the pace we showed today and the upgrades coming to Brazil next week, we have every chance of achieving at least that target.
"As for our performance today, the race confirmed that we had the potential to finish on the podium," Stella explained after the chequered flag. "Unfortunately, we paid the price for both our drivers’ starting grid positions and the limitations imposed by the technical regulations, which make overtaking practically impossible on a track like this."
The Italian team boss even offered a wry joke about the endless stint behind rivals. "With all the time Lando spent in the slipstream – first behind George Russell and then behind Charles Leclerc – I think he could now draw the rear of their cars with his eyes closed!"
The afternoon was equally infuriating on the other side of the garage. Oscar Piastri was busy executing a strong recovery drive through the midfield before a controversial tangle with Arvid Lindblad abruptly halted his progress. The FIA stewards investigated the contact and slapped the Australian with a time penalty, bleeding crucial points away from the British squad.
"Furthermore, the harsh penalty Oscar received for the contact with Lindblad cost us further valuable points," Stella lamented. "A real shame because Oscar had staged a good comeback."
Those dropped points carry massive weight as McLaren is locked in a bitter dogfight with Red Bull Racing for third place in the Constructors' Championship. With McLaren trailing the Milton Keynes outfit by 17 points heading into the final leg of the triple-header, Stella is bringing heavy artillery to Brazil to close the gap.
"In our battle with Red Bull for third place today, we could only limit the damage after a Qualifying session that had put us in a difficult position," he admitted. "We have 17 points to make up, but I believe that with the pace we showed today and the upgrades coming to Brazil next week, we have every chance of achieving at least that target."
Eclipsing Red Bull at Interlagos will not happen by accident. If the Woking squad wants to secure P3 and the massive prize money that comes with it, it has to stop making Saturday mistakes. As Stella bluntly warned his garage: “To do so, however, we’ll have to be perfect as a team, in every respect.”
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