P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren: Qatar F1 stint lengths flattered us compared to Red Bull
Piastri finished second in the F1 Grand Prix at Losail, just 4.5 seconds behind Verstappen, with Norris taking third place. Stint lengths were limited to 18 laps due to concerns about tire failures, resulting in three pit stops during the 57-lap race. McLaren was expected to perform well on the high downforce track, and their one-lap pace proved to be genuine, as seen with Piastri’s sprint win during qualifying. McLaren’s team boss, Andrea Stella, believes that Red Bull’s strategy was sub-optimal and may not have been pushing as hard as usual. The shortened stints and the behavior of the medium and hard tires allowed McLaren to push and maintain better tire degradation. Stella cautioned that McLaren’s performance at this track may not necessarily reflect the overall pecking order in upcoming races.
Source: motorsport
