McLaren concedes Lando Norris did not make the right call against Max Verstappen at the start of the F1 Miami GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that Lando Norris giving the position back to Max Verstappen during the Miami Grand Prix was the right decision. Speaking to Sky Sports, the Italian noted that the Briton had enough pace to legitimately overtake the Red Bull driver on track.

Norris and Verstappen engaged in a tense battle between Laps 15 and 18. In their duel, Norris forced Verstappen off the track and completed the overtake, prompting the stewards to investigate the incident for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Norris promptly returned the position to Verstappen before reclaiming it cleanly on Lap 18.

Stella believed that returning to the position was the sensible call, given Norris had completed the overtake beyond track limits. However, Stella stated that in hindsight, Norris should have taken it easy at the start and trusted the car to overtake Verstappen later. Typically, leaving the track and gaining an advantage results in a 10-second time penalty.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the incident between Norris and Verstappen, the McLaren team principal said:

“The first lap, with hindsight, it would have been potentially wiser for Lando to lift and accept he would have gained the lead later on in the race because the car was fast enough but that's with the benefit of hindsight.”

He further added:

“In terms of giving back the position, I think that was the right thing to do because Lando, in our judgement, was outside the track limits and you have to give back the track position. That's a little bit of bad luck but you have to behave and behave fairly. That could have been a risk of a penalty so it was the right thing to do."

McLaren team principal believes that MCL39 is a ‘formidable’ car

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised the MCL39 as a performance-efficient car, crediting its strong showing in Miami to the efforts of the technical team behind its design and development. He commended Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for extracting the maximum from the package, calling the double podium, Piastri’s win, and Norris’ second place, a testament to the car’s capabilities.

Stella noted that McLaren enjoyed a significant performance margin over the rest of the field. Piastri finished 4.6 seconds ahead of Norris and a commanding 37.644 seconds clear of George Russell in third. While Max Verstappen started from pole and defended robustly, he was ultimately unable to hold off either McLaren driver.

Praising the team for building the MCL39, Stella said:

“It's quite a margin. It proves the car is very competitive today. Well done for Oscar and Lando for exploiting the performance we had available in the car. In hot conditions it looks like our race pace is very strong. Well done to the team who have designed, produced and delivered this formidable car. Great result. A full points haul in Miami. We keep going, keep building and it was a very positive day.”

McLaren’s dominant performance in Miami has significantly widened their advantage in the Constructors’ championship, taking their tally to an impressive 246 points. Their consistency and performance edge across recent rounds have allowed them to pull clear of their nearest rivals, with Mercedes trailing in second with 141 points, a gap of over 100. Red Bull, meanwhile, remains in third place with 105 points, unable to match the defending champion's momentum despite showing flashes of pace.

In the Drivers’ championship, Oscar Piastri has surged into the lead with 131 points, continuing his breakthrough season with a commanding victory in Miami. His teammate, Lando Norris, is close behind in second place with 115 points, underlining their formidable one-two punch in both championships. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, finds himself third in the standings with 99 points, struggling to match the pace and consistency of the McLaren duo in recent races.

This shift in the competitive order signaled a changing tide in the 2025 season, with McLaren firmly establishing itself as the team to beat, both in outright pace and in delivering consistent race results. The team has won three races in a row for the first time since Mika Hakkinen in 1998.