Norris was the last of the leading cars to make his initial stop in Barcelona.
McLaren denied that Lando Norris’ loss of position to Max Verstappen on the first lap of the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix influenced their alternative strategic decision.
Norris started in first place but dropped to third on the first lap as he found himself between Max Verstappen and George Russell at Turn 1.
While Verstappen managed to overtake Russell using DRS on the start-finish straight on lap 3, Norris spent the first part of the race closely following the Mercedes.
With Verstappen building a seven-second lead up front, McLaren chose to keep Norris on track for six more laps compared to Red Bull.
The McLaren team would repeat this on a smaller scale at the second pit stop, as Norris emerged on lap 47 with tires that were three laps fresher, allowing him to chase Verstappen.
Norris ended up 2.2 seconds behind the Dutchman, but Stella explained that Norris’ loss of position at the start did not change their approach.
“I believe we would have executed the same strategy even if we were leading,” Stella said. “Because we are in Barcelona. In Monaco, we would have adopted a different strategy.
“We were very surprised when we saw the drivers pitting on lap 16, 17. To me, that seems self-inflicted pain on this circuit, doesn’t it?
“Because tire degradation is so high, overtaking is easy. So in reality, we thought this would bring us back into the race.
“And we stuck to our plan, even though we spent a bit too much time behind Russell at the start. Otherwise, the race would have come to us at the end of the 66 laps.”
The strategists at McLaren faced criticism after the race in Canada, as a split-second indecision during a Safety Car period cost Norris the lead and a possible victory.
However, Stella emphasized that the team should be praised for not deviating from their original plan when other teams stopped earlier than expected.
“So, I would like to commend the excellent work of our strategists,” she added. “Because that’s exactly what we had in mind.
“And it happened as we predicted. Should people just succumb to pressure and stop?
“Obviously, sometimes the decision to stop depends on how you manage your tires.
“And sometimes you just have to stop, if it makes sense. But here, it can be very costly if you stop too early.”
Norris’s sixth podium position this season and his teammate Oscar Piastri’s seventh place brought McLaren within 33 points of Ferrari, the second-placed team in the championship.
