According to Motorsport.com Italia, the weekend in Sepang turned into a proper mystery for McLaren. Everyone at Woking knew Baku was going to be a punishing test, but the Malaysian layout was supposed to be a friendly hunting ground for the MCL40. Instead, the machine found itself relegated to the role of the fourth force on the grid, finishing far off the pace in what looks like a baffling anomaly.
On paper, the track should have played straight into the hands of the chassis. Audi and Aston Martin proved that Sepang is not strictly a power-sensitive circuit, meaning the strengths of the car through rapid sweeps ought to have masked any limitations from the power unit. The machine from Woking has never been a rocket down the straights, burdened as it is by power unit traits, gear ratios, and a general lack of aerodynamic efficiency, not to mention Lando Norris suffering a motor issue. Yet the sheer downforce that sparkled in the Netherlands, Hungary, and Madrid was supposed to translate here.
"I can't say if Singapore will be a track that suits us better because we expected, looking at the layout, that Sepang would be a good track for us," admitted Stella. So why did the car fall so flat? The team points first to the abrasive asphalt, a surface unlike almost anything else on the calendar. That extreme roughness does wicked things not only to tyres, but to the aerodynamic behavior of cars and the way the floor operates down near the ground. It throws the machines into an unusual operating window.
Max Verstappen pointed out on Saturday that Red Bull's speed in Malaysia might stem from understanding the rubber quickly, but the RB22 ran well under every condition. Stella insists the data shows the setup was right on the money in both aerodynamic and mechanical terms for Baku and Sepang, meaning no hindsight changes would have fixed it. The issue lies deeper in the raw potential and the relative competitiveness against rivals who may have simply developed their machines better.
What stings most is the high-speed cornering. Earlier in the year, upgrades brought to Budapest made the car an absolute reference through the fast bends, putting them right back in the fight for wins. Yet in Malaysia, that crown slipped away to Ferrari, leaving Stella somewhat perplexed. While Red Bull brought a step forward with their package and Ferrari kept major parts in reserve ahead of Austin outside of a fresh engine, the pace swing caught McLaren off guard.
"In Hungary we brought updates and we were in a condition to get pole, both there and in Zandvoort. And then in Madrid we were practically in a condition to get pole and victory without the Virtual Safety Car. And, in a very quick way, as we introduced other updates, the picture changed," Stella added. With Singapore looming and its own set of low-speed turns, the squad needs answers, and fast.
