Norris 'should have eased off' Verstappen at the start, says Stella

The perfect weekend for McLarenIn Miami, the British team achieved two doubles: the first in the Sprint with the victory of Lando Norris, the second in the Grand Prix with the triumph ofOscar piastriWith 58 points, the Woking team has a clean sweep, but not everything was perfect for the reigning world champions in Florida. Deprived of the two pole positions available this weekend, McLaren had to fight hard – at least at the start of the race – to secure these two victories.

On Sunday, Lando Norris started on the front row alongside Max Verstappen, with the advantage of pole position for the driver Red BullComing out of the first corner, after the Dutchman's wheel locked, the Briton found himself level with the poleman, but the Dutchman then widened his trajectory at the second corner, forcing the Englishman off the track. An exit that cost the McLaren driver four positions, 6th at the end of the first lap.

Once again, Max Verstappen's maneuver caused a stir in the paddock. The four-time world champion was not penalized for this rough defense, which is in keeping with the philosophy of “Let them race”, where drivers have more freedom – within reason – to fight. For Andrea Stella, his driver made a mistake in trying to fight the Dutchman from the first corners, given the potential of the MCL39. "The first lap, in hindsight, it might have been wiser for Lando to take his foot off the gas and accept that he would have taken the lead later in the race because the car was quite quick, but that's with the benefit of hindsight.", did he declare from Sky Sports F1.

Give the position back to Verstappen, " the right thing to do"

A few laps later, between laps 14 and 18, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen found themselves on the track in a fiercely contested duel. Faced with a much faster McLaren, the Dutchman tried to resist by all means, blocking the inside at the first corner on each lap. The Briton thought he had found the opening for the first time by passing his opponent on the outside of turn 11… but by going outside the track limits. Lando Norris had to give up his position a few hundred meters later, before finally getting the better of Max Verstappen on lap 18.

"I think it was the right thing to do because Lando, in our opinion, was outside the track limits and in that case you have to give back track position," explained Andrea Stella on the action between his driver and Max Verstappen, when the Englishman gave way to the DutchmanIt's a bit of bad luck, but we have to behave fairly. We could have risked a penalty, so it was the right thing to do." Ultimately, Lando Norris finished second in the Miami Grand Prix, behind his teammate Oscar Piastri. While the result remains the same for McLaren, the English driver may have some regrets about these costly battles with Max Verstappen.

ALSO READ > Norris says Verstappen 'ruined his own race' with 'not very smart' defense