McLaren make Lando Norris 'eyes closed' joke as 'harsh' penalty deepens anger

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris spent so long stuck behind rivals in the Mexico City Grand Prix that he could now draw their cars from memory.

Stella was also left disenchanted by a post-race penalty for Oscar Piastri that relegated the Australian driver out of the points, to add salt to the wounds of a disappointing weekend.

Norris finished fifth at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez after failing to find a way past George Russell's Mercedes initially, and then Charles Leclerc's Ferrari despite running in their wake for long stretches.

Piastri, who had endured a difficult qualifying, fought back from 12th on the grid to cross the line in seventh.

The stewards, however, handed him a 10-second time penalty after ruling he had caused a Turn 1 collision with Arvid Lindblad late in the race, concluding the McLaren driver was never fully alongside the VCARB 03 and had no right to the corner. The penalty dropped Piastri to 15th.

Speaking after the race, Stella said McLaren had the pace and "potential to finish on the podium".

"Unfortunately, we paid the price for both our drivers' starting grid positions and the limitations imposed by the technical regulations, which make overtaking practically impossible on a track like this," said Stella.

"With all the time Lando spent in the slipstream, first behind Russell and then behind Leclerc, I think he could now draw the rear of their cars with his eyes closed!

"Furthermore, the harsh penalty Oscar received for the contact with Lindblad cost us further valuable points: a real shame because Oscar had staged a good comeback."

Stella - 'We'll have to be perfect'

McLaren's result leaves the team fourth in the constructors' standings battle, 17 points behind Red Bull after Verstappen's victory.

Stella has confirmed the team is now targeting this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix to close the margin, with upgrades planned.

"In our battle with Red Bull for third place, we could only limit the damage after a qualifying session that had put us in a difficult position," said Stella.

"We have points to make up, but I believe that with the pace we showed and the upgrades coming to Brazil, we have every chance of achieving at least that target.

"To do so, however, we'll have to be perfect as a team, in every respect."

Antonelli triumph 'truly exceptional'

Stella also praised fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli after the 20-year-old became the youngest champion in F1 history after finishing third in the race, and the first from their country in an astonishing 73 years.

"On behalf of the whole team, I would like to congratulate Kimi and Mercedes on a truly historic achievement," said Stella.

"Becoming the youngest world champion in the history of Formula 1 in just his second season is something extraordinary.

"For Italian motor racing, Kimi now joins an exclusive group alongside legendary names, Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Farina, who have inspired entire generations of Italian fans.

"His incredible consistency, his reliability and the remarkable progress he has made over the past year have made this triumph truly exceptional."