McLaren’s Singapore struggle: bumps, kerbs and a familiar pattern
McLaren arrived in Singapore with expectations of a rebound after Red Bull’s recent resurgence, but qualifying told a different story. Oscar Piastri starts third and Lando Norris fifth, with team principal Andrea Stella conceding the team is currently the third force behind Mercedes and Red Bull on the Marina Bay layout.
Stella explained that the circuit characteristics — heavy braking over bumps, traction zones and kerb riding — exposed a known weakness. It’s a pattern the team has identified across the season.
Stella’s diagnosis: where time is lost
“It’s related to the fact that overall, there were some cars that were faster than us, in particular Mercedes and Red Bull,” Stella said, reflecting on qualifying. “We seem to have observed a pattern, having been in Baku and then here in Singapore, that resembles what we saw in Canada.
“When we have braking with bumps and kerbs, in Canada, we were not the best car, in Baku, we were not the best car, and in Singapore, we are not the best car. From a technical point of view, this is not entirely a surprise because we know the conditions in which we develop our car.”
He added that while the MCL finds lap time in mid-corner phases, Marina Bay’s corners are “kind of too short” and dominated by entry/exit factors where bumps and traction are king. “Here, it is dominated by braking and traction, and with the bumps and kerbs, we seem to be suffering a bit.”
Competitive picture: underdogs on Sunday
“Throughout the event, we saw Mercedes was in a condition to put together some very competitive sectors, and Max, the same,” Stella noted. Driver feedback from Norris and Piastri “resembled the comments in Baku and Canada,” reinforcing the team’s internal data.
The outcome leaves McLaren as underdogs for the race compared to Russell and Verstappen at the front. But the silver lining is clarity: the specific operating window that hurts McLaren is now well mapped, and the team intends to fold these conditions more explicitly into development plans.
Next steps and race outlook
With Piastri on the sharper end of the grid and Norris close behind, McLaren still has two cars in contention to pressure the leaders, especially if strategy or Safety Car timing opens the door. The priority, however, remains execution over the bumps and kerbs — and making the most of the car’s mid-corner strengths where Singapore allows.
