McLaren explain 'execution' which doomed Lando Norris

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has explained how "execution" of Lando Norris's pit-stop doomed him to Miami Grand Prix defeat.

At the sole pit-stops of the race, leader Norris did not stop until Lap 27, in response to second-placed Kimi Antonelli doing so one lap earlier - thus creating the opportunity for an undercut.

As Norris emerged from the pits, Antonelli sliced past to claim the net lead, which became P1 when they passed the off-strategy Max Verstappen. 

However, Norris could not then pass Antonelli despite harrying him for the final 30 laps, coming home to bank second place for a first grand prix podium of the season for the reigning champion, having also won the Sprint on Saturday.

Reflecting on the sequence around the pit-stop, team principal Stella detailed how McLaren came to a sudden realisation that Antonelli was going to successfully complete the undercut.

"We were fighting a faster car than us, but perhaps if we had kept Lando in the lead, we could have led until the finish," Stella told media, including RacingNews365.

"When you are in the lead of the race, and you are in condition to retain the lead, like Lando was, then you definitely have a chance to win it. 

"I feel the timing of the pit-stop was the decisive factor, but at the same time, we should be careful that we don't only see it from a strategic point of view, because you have the timing of the pit-stop, but then we lost time in the pit-lane, which is an execution aspect.

"It is a combination of the driver stopping in the pit-box, and then we have the in-lap, and we lost some time on the in-lap, but it is always a team effort, and as a team, we have done a great job in making McLaren competitive again for the win.

"It was very difficult, even if Lando was ahead at the pit-exit, Antonelli was coming with hot tyres, he had the ideal racing line, so I don't think there was anything we could have done.

"We just should have pitted Lando quicker, probably seven-tenths of a second, and this would have given him the possibility to retain the position.

"Once we saw that the pit-stop wasn't perfect, we lost time in the pit-lane, and we saw that the in-lap wasn't going to be very good, we knew that with Antonelli coming with hot tyres, it would have been very difficult [to retain the lead], so it was a combination of factors which compounded it."