Forty-nine points across the last four rounds. That is the stark reality capturing McLaren's slump right now, as Motorsport.com Italia reports. In that exact same timeframe, Red Bull hauled in 125 points, Ferrari grabbed 116, and Mercedes managed 104. It is a punishing comparison for an outfit that recently looked capable of threatening Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship, only to finish up tied with Red Bull at 355 points following Austin.
This downward trajectory stings all the more because it followed a genuinely strong phase of the campaign. Andrea Stella has made no secret that the MCL40 possesses a ceiling higher than what it shows on Saturdays, yet unlocking that pace with any consistency remains an elusive puzzle. As Stella put it, "I think in the race we saw the potential that we thought we had already yesterday — Lando felt the car could be worth second place in qualifying, perhaps that was a bit exaggerated, but the potential was there. The problem is that this year it is very difficult to exploit it completely."
We must get back to having Oscar and Lando on the front row, fighting for victory. Then we will manage the competition between them. Until then we must all work together to bring McLaren to the front,
The core issue is not a total lack of raw speed, but rather the narrowness of the operating window. Over a single flying lap, when drivers must squeeze every millimeter out of the tarmac and every fraction of grip, the MCL40 bites back. Sundays offer a bit of breathing room because tire preservation forces drivers to manage their pace. Out in Austin, Stella noted their race speed matched Ferrari and Red Bull, with Antonelli operating on another level entirely.
Starting down on the fourth row ruins any realistic shot at a top result when the field is this tight. Opting for a one-stop strategy late in the race was a roll of the dice to break free from a rhythm where following rivals would have left both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind. Explaining the aggressive gamble, Stella said, "With two stops we would have stayed behind. With one we could hope for a safety car or check how far we could push with the hard tires. We knew it would be very difficult to keep Verstappen and above all Leclerc behind."
The Texas weekend laid bare the contrasting driving styles of the two garage neighbors. Stella pointed out that Austin suits Norris historically, whereas Piastri wrestles with more hurdles. Elaborating on the differences, Stella noted, "Oscar's strength is the ability to build performance. Once he finds his references, he manages to improve lap after lap. Here, however, every lap is different. Lando, on the other hand, has a great ability to adapt to conditions, especially when the car is sliding."
Because an unpredictable machine heavily penalizes drivers who rely on stable references to construct their lap times, the team opted to swap positions during the grand prix to let Norris hunt down the cars ahead — a contingency discussed before the red lights went out if Piastri lacked the necessary pace. Following earlier friction in Singapore, Stella stressed that the collective priority must override internal rivalries until the team climbs back to the front. "We must get back to having Oscar and Lando on the front row, fighting for victory. Then we will manage the competition between them. Until then we must all work together to bring McLaren to the front," he stated.
Development is far from over, with further upgrades slated between Brazil and Las Vegas following a quieter weekend in Mexico. Yet bolting on extra performance is only half the battle; the real task is making the existing speed usable when it counts most. With Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes capitalizing on their packages, McLaren must urgently rediscover how to translate raw pace into tangible points before their grip on the championship standings slips away entirely.
