Stella targets Las Vegas redemption after disqualification and years of McLaren struggles

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has called Las Vegas “probably the race we’ve been struggling the most” on the entire calendar, and says the team is determined to “finally make peace” with the Nevada street circuit ahead of this weekend’s grand prix.

The admission comes off the back of a strong São Paulo Grand Prix, where Lando Norris claimed his third win of the season and Oscar Piastri showed a marked improvement in pace. That momentum, Stella hopes, can carry into a venue that has repeatedly punished McLaren — most painfully in 2024, when Norris and Piastri finished second and fourth only to be disqualified for excessive wear on the skid blocks beneath the floor.

“We want to go there and have a good result because it’s been probably, of all the races in the calendar, the one that we’ve been struggling the most,” Stella said. “And even last year that we had a good race, we made our life bad with the problem that we had with the skid wear. So we look forward to Vegas, have a good result there and finally being in peace with this venue.”

Stella was candid about the specific challenges the Las Vegas circuit poses for the MCL40. The long, high-speed straights demand a level of top-end velocity that has not always been McLaren’s strong suit — a pattern the team has seen at Monza and Baku.

“We have seen this in Monza, we have seen this in Baku, that when the requirement is to develop top speed, not necessarily McLaren is the best car,” he said. “We know that this also somehow relates to our gear ratios that are not ideal when you need to go above a certain level of top speed.”

Despite those concerns, Stella pointed to a run of upgrades since the summer break as grounds for optimism. A new front wing introduced in Brazil, designed to make the car more predictable, will be joined by further new components in Las Vegas — parts Stella described as forming “the foundation for what will be next year’s car.”

“The car is faster now,” he said. “These upgrades will be complemented by some more parts that come in Vegas.”

The stakes are considerable. McLaren currently sits fourth in the constructors’ championship, 17 points behind Red Bull with three races remaining. A strong points haul on The Strip is essential if the team is to secure third place in the standings before the season closes.