Andrea Stella admits McLaren are not doing enough to help Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

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McLaren’s strategy blunder at the Qatar Grand Prix has put Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri under pressure to secure the 2025 Formula 1 title.

Victory looked almost guaranteed for the Woking outfit as Piastri took pole on Friday, won the Sprint race on Saturday, and then claimed pole for Sunday’s race.

The Australian was the class of the field at the Qatar Grand Prix and looked on course to beat Norris and Max Verstappen and keep him in the title hunt. However, after a safety car on lap seven, McLaren did not pit their drivers while the rest of the field, bar Esteban Ocon, came in.

Norris and Piastri eventually pitted on lap 25, but they found themselves behind Verstappen on track. They blitzed the field in the second stint and stopped earlier to try and catch the Dutchman, but to no avail.

Andrea Stella and Zak Brown were ‘shellshocked’ after the race as Verstappen claimed victory from Piastri, while Norris finished fourth. The Red Bull driver has now leapfrogged the former into second in the standings and is 12 points behind the latter heading into Abu Dhabi.

Andrea Stella admits McLaren need to ‘elevate their game’ to help Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Abu Dhabi

Piastri was ‘broken’ after the race, according to Martin Brundle. Given his dominance across the Qatar GP weekend, a much-needed win for his title chances looked almost guaranteed, but he is now left 16 points behind his teammate.

Norris could have won the championship in Qatar with a win, but he ended up off the podium. He would have finished P5 if it were not for Kimi Antonelli running wide on the penultimate lap.

Stella admits McLaren were wrong with their strategy in Qatar, and later said that the team need to ‘elevate their game’ in Abu Dhabi to capitalise on their drivers’ work on the track. It would suggest that they are not doing enough to support them.

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He said via F1 TV’s post-race show: “We are disappointed because we are haemorrhaging points in a way in the last two events.

“Our drivers are doing a very good job and, if anything, it’s the team that needs to elevate their game and make sure that we give our drivers the possibility to capitalise on their great driving.

“On the other side, we need to just look forward, get all the learning that we receive from racing but at the same time we need to think forward, prepare, remain confident.

“We have a fast car, we have two great drivers, we need to use all the information to make sure that we execute a perfect race weekend. I think we have all the ingredients to be successful, it’s still in our hands but it requires to do a better job than what we have done in the last two races.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Has Andrea Stella lived up to his promise to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ahead of 2025 title decider?

Qatar is the latest controversy at McLaren in 2025 and their bid to win the championship. They have consistently reiterated that they will give their drivers equal treatment, but people are having a hard time believing that.

F1 fans say Piastri has been the number two at McLaren this season, despite the team saying that they have two number one drivers. The Aussie was 34 points ahead after Zandvoort, and now finds himself 16 points adrift, with many accusing the Woking outfit of favouring Norris.

Who is your pick for the 2025 champion after the Qatar Grand Prix?

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Stella addressed accusations of favouritism at McLaren, and again emphasised that the pair are equal. That would seem to be the case in Abu Dhabi, as McLaren will not use team orders and will allow Norris and Piastri to fight.

But the events in Qatar do little to help the accusations, especially now that Piastri has lost P2 in the standings. Given what has transpired, it is hard to say that Stella and Brown have lived up to the promise they set their drivers – Piastri’s reaction after the race spoke volumes.