Stella on why McLaren pitted Piastri early in Imola GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has shed light on the logic behind Oscar Piastri’s unexpected two-stop strategy during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix — a move that ultimately denied the Australian a higher finish but was, in Stella’s eyes, a necessary gamble in pursuit of victory.

Starting from pole, Piastri was shuffled back into second at Turn 2 when Max Verstappen seized the lead with a gutsy move around the outside at Tamburello.

While the Australian initially kept pace, tyre degradation and race dynamics, including the deployment of both a Virtual and full Safety Car, eventually dropped Piastri behind teammate Lando Norris, with the pair finishing P2 and P3 behind the unassailable Max Verstappen.

A Necessary Gamble to Disrupt Verstappen

Stella clarified that the team’s decision to pit Piastri earlier than most, which equated to committing to a two-stop strategy, was informed by both driver feedback and a broader attempt to disrupt Verstappen’s rhythm up front.

“Well, I think at the time Oscar’s tyres were going off by a good chunk and Oscar was passing some feedback that that was the case,” Stella explained after the race.

“It was unclear entering this event whether it would have been a one or a two. If it was a two, that was the time to go.”

Indeed, McLaren saw an opportunity – one they believed could tilt the balance in their favour – if the Hard compound tyre delivered the expected performance. That, however, didn’t pan out as hoped.

“And if the Hard tyres had behaved just a little bit better, then the two would have been a very strong strategy, despite having to overtake some other cars,” Stella continued.

“But once he went on Hard tyres, actually it wasn’t much faster than Lando and Max that stayed out on the used Medium.

“So I think the Hard tyres were a little less competitive than we thought, but we needed to deviate and create the condition to beat Max today.”

Calculated Risk, Unpredictable Tyres

Despite the unsuccessful outcome – with Norris passing Piastri late in the race and Verstappen remaining unchallenged at the front – Stella stood firmly behind the decision. He viewed it as a necessary risk in the spirit of racing to win.

“So I think this is something that you can only judge in hindsight, but if you deviate, that was the time to go for a two-stop.

“So no regrets and ultimately for the team it’s the same outcome and for Oscar it could have been the way to win and sometimes when you take some risks to win, there may be a little bit of a downside.”

Stella also explained that tyre behaviour during the race was deceptively complex. Many teams believed tyre degradation in the opening stint would dictate a two-stop race, only for the situation to stabilise mid-stint.

“In the first stint, somehow if you went through a phase in which the tyres looked like they were degrading heavily, then they actually had something more to offer, which is the reason why Lando, Max and some other drivers were going for a one-stop.

“But certainly there was a phase in which the tyres seemed to go off, which is where other drivers deviated onto a two, including Oscar.”

• Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP

The timing of the Safety Car only added further complexity, handing a significant advantage to those who extended their opening stints — notably Verstappen and Norris.

“And then the tyres were a factor because at the Safety Car restart, it was more the fact that the tyres did degrade, so cars on a new tyre could overtake the cars that didn’t change tyres in Safety Car.

“I think this is where the tyres played a role in this weekend, but in terms of warm up, firing up the tyres, I think there wasn’t much today.”

While the two-stop may not have yielded victory, McLaren’s intent was clear: take bold risks to win. That mindset may yet pay off in the battles to come.

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