Stella says McLaren got Sepang tire choice wrong

Andrea Stella said McLaren misjudged how quickly dry tires would become effective at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The team principal explained the decision in Formula 1’s October 5 report after Oscar Piastri finished sixth and Lando Norris ninth at Sepang.

The event kept the Bahrain name after relocating to Sepang. McLaren’s July 26 announcement confirmed the Malaysian venue for the October 2–4 round.

McLaren initially selected medium tires for both drivers, expecting the surface to dry quickly. Piastri switched to intermediates at the end of the second formation lap, while Norris remained on the slicks and lost time.

Stella described the crossover calculation as “an incorrect judgment.” He also said the different choices were not a simple plan to split the cars’ strategies and test which worked better.

The team recovered points after failing to score in Azerbaijan. Max Verstappen won the Sepang race, while Stella said Singapore would offer another opportunity to assess McLaren’s recent upgrades and its competitive position.