Under pressure, McLaren’s pit crew is 'losing confidence'
Guenther Steiner believes McLaren’s recent run of slow pit stops stems from a crisis of confidence rather than faulty equipment, warning that the errors could have massive repercussions in the title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with six rounds to go.
Recent costly delays
Norris lost track position to team-mate and title rival Piastri after a slow service at the Italian Grand Prix. Another sluggish stop hampered Norris in Baku, and in Singapore it was Piastri’s turn to wait in the box. The pattern, Steiner says, points to mindset.
It is all in the head
'It is all about confidence,' Steiner told the Red Flags podcast. 'If you do a bad one, the best thing is to forget about it. If you focus too much on how to make it not happen again, you overthink it. Sometimes you just have to let it go. Shit happens and move on.'
Hardware vs human factors
Team boss Andrea Stella has suggested a hardware element is partly to blame. Steiner counters that kit is worth a tenth or two at most. What really matters is repetition, consistency and the driver hitting the marks: if the car stops slightly long or short, the ripple effect can cost vital tenths.
Fine margins decide titles
'These guys are good,' Steiner added, noting that even a small lapse in focus can turn a strong stop into a slow one. In a two-car title battle, those tenths aggregated across races can decide outcomes.
- Multiple slow stops: Monza, Baku, Singapore
- Internal title fight: Norris vs Piastri
- Steiner’s verdict: confidence over equipment
- Stella’s view: hardware playing a part
The challenge for McLaren is now as psychological as it is operational: restore rhythm, trust the process, and keep execution clean under pressure.
