Andrea Stella elaborates on how qualifying impacted McLaren’s performance at the Mexico GP: “We bore the consequences.”

Possessing a car capable of reaching the podium holds little value if you find yourself trapped in dirty air for 71 laps.

This was the situation for McLaren during the Mexico City Grand Prix. A challenging qualifying session on Saturday left the Woking team at a significant disadvantage, completely overshadowing the raw race speed of their vehicle. Due to the high altitude creating cooling challenges and the difficulty of following closely behind another car, track position is crucial in Mexico.

Lando Norris spent his entire afternoon ensnared in a DRS train, exhausting his tyres in the turbulent wake of his competitors.

“As for our performance today, the race confirmed that we had the potential to finish on the podium,” team principal Andrea Stella remarked after the race concluded. “Unfortunately, we bore the consequences of our drivers’ starting positions and the constraints set by the technical regulations, which render overtaking nearly impossible on a track like this."

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, George Russell, Mercedes

The Italian team principal did not hold back in expressing just how torturous the race was for his lead driver, who spent the entire time fixated on the gearboxes ahead of him.

"With all the time Lando spent in the slipstream – initially behind Russell and then behind Leclerc – I think he could now sketch the rear of their cars with his eyes shut!” he joked.

A "severe" penalty for Oscar Piastri

The afternoon was equally frustrating on the opposite side of the papaya-coloured garage. Oscar Piastri was in the midst of a highly effective recovery drive through the midfield when a contentious collision with Arvid Lindblad abruptly halted his advancement.

The FIA stewards reviewed the incident and issued a time penalty to the Australian, costing the British team critical points.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

“Moreover, the severe penalty Oscar received for the incident with Lindblad cost us further valuable points," the McLaren chief lamented. "It’s a real disappointment because Oscar had mounted a strong comeback."