McLaren team boss Andrea Stella reveals that his team is working on resolving the issue of slow pit stops. The racing team has regularly struggled with lengthy tyre changes since the summer break, with Lando Norris‘s slow pit stop in Monza being a notable example. However, Stella explains that the process behind a pit stop is complex, meaning the definitive solution will only be implemented next season.
McLaren has secured the constructors’ title. In as many as twelve of the eighteen races already run this season, it was a McLaren driver who got to stand on the top step of the podium. However, not everything went smoothly for the British racing team this year. Slow pit stops, in particular, have been a problem for McLaren since the summer break. For instance, it took an unusually long time for Lando Norris to get new tyres on his MCL39 in Monza. McLaren subsequently gave Oscar Piastri the controversial team order to let the Brit pass.
Piastri himself was the victim of a slow pit stop in Singapore, where he had to wait three seconds longer than usual. According to team boss Andrea Stella, the entire process surrounding a pit stop is incredibly complex, which is why the team is struggling. “The execution of the pit stop is really a combination of the human factor, the operation, with the quality of the hardware and the extent to which the hardware makes changing tyres as natural and easy as possible,” the Italian explains in Singapore.
Solution in 2026
Although Norris has recently had to deal with slow tyre changes more often than Piastri, Stella says this is purely coincidental and the average pit stop time for both drivers is the same. However, Stella believes a solution must be found, although it will not be implemented until next season. “In our evaluation, we have determined that we need to make improvements in all areas, from a human perspective,” Stella continues. “However, we also know that our hardware makes the tasks, such as screwing on the tyres, slightly more complex than necessary. We are making corrections, but that will mainly be for next year.”
