Andrea Stella on McLaren's strategy in Hungary

      After the race in Hungary, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella talked about how the race strategy was determined on the team bridge and why he didn't ask the drivers to swap places, despite Lando Norris's clear advantage...

      Andrea Stella: "Up until the pit stop, Oscar rightfully led, thanks to his actions in the first and second corners. He deserved a chance to fight for the win.

      At other tracks, Lando would likely have overtaken Oscar. But in Hungary, overtaking is difficult; it requires a significant speed advantage. Therefore, we were happy to give Oscar the opportunity to fight for the win while staying true to our racing principles.

      Many factors need to be considered. But I think that in Hungary, from the perspective of our racing principles, we did everything right. I must thank Oscar and Lando for this, as without these two drivers who accept and support our racing style, it would have been impossible.

      Analyzing the race, it can be seen that Hamilton could have overtaken both McLaren cars during the pit stops, so we had to react. We needed to ensure that one of our cars stayed ahead of Hamilton. We were choosing between Oscar and Lando. Oscar was leading, so we decided that his car was better suited for the pit stop. This opened up new strategic options for Lando. It wasn't about giving an advantage to Oscar or Lando; it was important not to let Ferrari get ahead.

      On worn tires, Lando hardly lost speed compared to cars on fresh rubber. This is what brought him the victory. It was a win thanks to his speed, and Lando had the opportunity to take advantage of it, but not because the team intentionally created this situation. The team simply needed to react to Hamilton's actions."