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During the 2025 Imola Grand Prix, McLaren’s decision not to swap Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri late in the race attracted criticism from some observers, including former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve. However, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has defended the team’s strategic calls, explaining that their decisions were based on tire performance, track position, and realistic chances of challenging race leader Max Verstappen.

Oscar Piastri started the race from pole position, but his lead was short-lived as Verstappen managed a bold overtake at Turn 2, seizing control of the race. From that point, Piastri found himself struggling. McLaren opted to pit him early in an attempt to change strategy and gain a potential advantage, but the move placed him in traffic. Compounding his challenge was the fact that he had no fresh tires left after a safety car later in the race.

Meanwhile, Norris benefitted from staying out longer on his initial stint. He was able to pit later, switch to fresher tires, and rejoin the race in third place. As he closed in on his teammate, Norris radioed the team suggesting he should be allowed to pass Piastri to chase down Verstappen. However, McLaren decided not to issue team orders and instead told Norris he would have to earn the position on track.

This decision sparked debate, with critics arguing that McLaren may have cost themselves a chance at a better result. Nevertheless, Stella stood by the team’s strategy, explaining that their primary aim was to challenge Verstappen. According to Stella, even with Norris on fresher tires, Verstappen was able to respond effectively to any threat. Overtaking at Imola, he added, requires a significant pace advantage—around seven to eight-tenths of a second per lap—which Norris simply didn’t have.

Stella further addressed questions about the timing of Piastri’s early pit stop. Some speculated it was a mistake, but Stella clarified that Piastri was already experiencing considerable tire degradation and had communicated this to the team. He explained that it wasn’t clear going into the race whether a one-stop or two-stop strategy would be optimal. If the hard tires had performed better, a two-stop strategy might have paid off. However, once Piastri switched to the hard compound, he didn’t show significantly better pace compared to Norris and Verstappen, who stayed out on worn mediums.

Reflecting on the outcome, Stella said that the team took a calculated risk to try and beat Verstappen, knowing it could go either way. He acknowledged that with hindsight, the strategy didn’t yield the desired result, but emphasized that it was a necessary move in pursuit of a possible win. He also noted that from a team perspective, the end result was the same regardless of the order between their drivers.

In conclusion, while McLaren’s choices at Imola didn’t deliver victory, Stella believes they were justified given the circumstances and underlined the importance of being bold in attempting to beat a dominant opponent like Verstappen.