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McLaren is searching for answers after a disappointing weekend at Sepang—a circuit that, on paper, should have perfectly suited the characteristics of the MCL40.
Following a challenging outing on the streets of Baku despite introducing fresh upgrades, the team entered the second leg of the triple-header confident that Malaysia's high-downforce demands would play to their strengths. However, Sepang's abrasive tarmac proved problematic, leaving McLaren as merely the fourth-fastest team on the grid across the weekend.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified sixth and seventh respectively, finishing six-tenths adrift of polesitter Max Verstappen. A failed gamble to start on slicks in wet conditions compounded their struggles in the race, with Piastri's sixth-place finish being the team's best result.
Yet even with an optimal tire strategy, McLaren was unlikely to challenge the front-runners. The sudden dip in pace is particularly puzzling following their commanding performances at Zandvoort and Madrid.
"We haven't seen any anomalies in the data. However, we have to consider the possibility that some rivals made significantly bigger developmental strides than we did.
"In reality, we did increase the car's potential with the new parts. It's more that the race-pace deficit shows we've lost ground relative to our direct competitors. In Malaysia, the specific conditions—and particularly the track surface—made the car behave in a strange way. It's not just down to tire management. We need to closely examine the car's behavior, the effect of the new parts, and our overall competitiveness in Singapore," Stella added.
"More upgrades are lined up for the final rounds. We hope to take another step forward and put ourselves back in the fight for podiums," the Italian concluded.
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