McLaren share key focus for unexpected F1 spring break

Andrea Stella has pinpointed addressing McLaren's "aerodynamic performance" as the main focus for the team during F1's impromptu hiatus.

The team principal of the Woking-based squad highlighted how the postponement — and likely cancellation — of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix has worked in the constructors' champion's favour, with more time now available to attend to areas of the MCL40 in need of development.

The war in the Middle East between Iran, the United States and Israel forced F1 to forgo its April trip to the region, with teams afforded five weeks to address their packages between Japan and the upcoming Miami Grand Prix.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, Stella said: "First of all, let me say we have some time off for the wrong reasons.

"But having said that, effectively, because of having been such a programme, such an intense programme, quite pushed from a timeline point of view, actually, this pause is welcomed.

"I think for McLaren as a team, it gives us the possibility to make the parts that we want to take trackside to evolve our car, make it faster, especially when it comes to aerodynamic performance."

During the round at Suzuka, the Italian highlighted how there was still more to be done to improve how McLaren was utilising its power unit.

Oscar Piastri's impressive second-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix underlined progress. Afterwards, Stella added: "I think it gives us some more time to work with HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains], for instance, finalising all the tools that are required to exploit the power unit."

Fighting for 'more important positions' in Miami

The 55-year-old pointed out how the removed rounds provide some welcome respite for team members, after a busy start to a new regulations era with little time off over the winter break.

"Importantly, it also gives the staff the time to take a little bit of a breath because it's been one of the most intense winters that I can remember in my career in Formula 1," Stella said.

"Definitely, once we started to go trackside, and winter testing itself has been very intense, very busy."

The McLaren boss also underscored the opportunity to make up lost ground on Mercedes and Ferrari, as his team looks to fight for victories.

"So I think it's good that in what is going to be another long season, we have the time to take a breath and we have the time to catch up from an operational and technical point of view so that we can be, as a team, specifically talking about McLaren, in condition to fight for more important positions once we race back, starting from Miami," he concluded.