McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has pinpointed a critical “execution” failure during Lando Norris’s pit stop as the factor that cost the reigning champion victory at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris led the race but was undercut by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli during the sole pit-stop phase, losing track position he could never recover despite hounding the Mercedes for the final 30 laps. The result gave Norris his first podium of 2026 after winning Saturday’s Sprint.
Seven-Tenths Cost Victory
The decisive moment came on lap 27 when Norris pitted in response to Antonelli stopping one lap earlier. As Norris exited the pits, Antonelli swept past to claim the net lead, which became outright first when both drivers passed the off-strategy Max Verstappen.
Stella revealed the undercut succeeded due to a combination of strategic timing and McLaren’s own execution shortcomings in the pit lane.
“We were fighting a faster car than us, but perhaps if we had kept Lando in the lead, we could have led until the finish,” Stella said. “When you are in the lead of the race, and you are in condition to retain the lead, like Lando was, then you definitely have a chance to win it.”
The Italian traced the defeat to multiple compounding factors rather than a single error.
“I feel the timing of the pit-stop was the decisive factor, but at the same time, we should be careful that we don’t only see it from a strategic point of view, because you have the timing of the pit-stop, but then we lost time in the pit-lane, which is an execution aspect,” Stella explained.
Compounding Factors
Stella outlined how Norris lost crucial time both in the pit box itself and on his in-lap before the stop, while Antonelli emerged on hot tyres with the ideal racing line to complete the overtake.
“It is a combination of the driver stopping in the pit-box, and then we have the in-lap, and we lost some time on the in-lap, but it is always a team effort, and as a team, we have done a great job in making McLaren competitive again for the win,” he said.
The team principal quantified the margin that would have made the difference.
“We just should have pitted Lando quicker, probably seven-tenths of a second, and this would have given him the possibility to retain the position,” Stella said. “Once we saw that the pit-stop wasn’t perfect, we lost time in the pit-lane, and we saw that the in-lap wasn’t going to be very good, we knew that with Antonelli coming with hot tyres, it would have been very difficult, so it was a combination of factors which compounded it.”
Mercedes Pace Advantage
Stella acknowledged McLaren were battling a faster Mercedes package in Miami, making track position even more valuable. Despite Norris pressuring Antonelli throughout the final stint, the Mercedes driver held firm to claim his second win of the 2026 season.
The result leaves McLaren to analyse both their strategic execution and operational precision ahead of the next race, where marginal gains in the pit lane could prove decisive in a closely-fought championship battle.