Andrea Stella had to convince ‘all of McLaren’ to take drastic course of action on latest update

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McLaren go into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on Sunday knowing they’re one positive result away from taking the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.

Andrea Stella’s team has come an awful long way from the start of the 2023 campaign when it looked like they would be fighting to avoid finishing bottom of the standings.

Rookie Oscar Piastri would have been wondering if he had made the right decision to leave Alpine for the papaya outfit, while Lando Norris would have known his contract would be expiring in the foreseeable future and exploring his options.

The turnaround at McLaren have been incredible and both drivers have since committed their futures to the Woking-based team.

CEO Zak Brown has lauded Stella for his influence on their recent results and in particular the updates added to the car.

McLaren have discovered unseen benefits with recent upgrade packages while many of their rivals have gone backwards after adding new parts to the car.

In a report from Autosport, it seems as though a debate has been taking place in the McLaren factory about a vital next step.

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

Stella has asked for support when taking a decision few on the grid would have expected.

Based on the team’s current trajectory, it’s hard to disagree with his reasoning up to this point.

Andrea Stella asked McLaren to back him by not adding latest floor update to the MCL38

The report from Autosport talks about the fact that McLaren have been preparing a new floor update for their car.

It’s a critical part that can deliver big increases in performance but almost every one of McLaren’s rivals have run into issues after making changes to it this season.

McLaren believe that they could unlock more downforce if they install the upgrade but if that impacts the balance of the car then Norris and Piastri will run into the same issues as their rivals.

Stella has therefore ‘had to convince all of McLaren’ that they’re taking the right course of action by not introducing the update yet.

Brown will back Stella given his recent decision making although Norris and Piastri may not be as encouraged by the fact that they’re rejecting the chance to make the car even quicker.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

They also believe that McLaren are feeling the benefit of Rob Marshall’s arrival from Red Bull.

Given his old team appear to have reached the limits of their previous design, he’ll be delighted that McLaren have managed to go a step further and are even holding back on what could be an even greater update.

Baku is make or break race for Lando Norris’s championship hopes

Norris needs to make up eight points on Max Verstappen at every race weekend between now and the end of the season to win a dramatic championship.

On paper, the maths is simple enough. Win every race with the fastest lap and no matter what Verstappen does, he can’t be caught.

That’s going to prove easier said than done especially with Helmut Marko hoping Red Bull will have solved their current issues by the time they reach Austin.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

It’s also going to take some cooperation from Piastri who has matched Norris – or even been faster than him – at times over the past few races.

McLaren will introduce an update to their papaya rules in Baku that should benefit the young British driver.

Nothing in Formula 1 is ever quite as straightforward as that, as Stella is proving by deciding against introducing an update that could win them both titles or see them potentially slip away.