McLaren endured a difficult Las Vegas weekend in 2024, but Team Principal Andrea Stella says the team has identified and addressed the main problems ahead of the venue’s return.
After a strong second half of the year that culminated in McLaren claiming its first Teams’ Championship since 1998, the papaya cars lacked pace on the Las Vegas Strip. Mercedes recorded a 1-2, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could only manage sixth and seventh as McLaren struggled to sustain race speed.
Stella highlighted the chief weaknesses from that outing: unpredictable tyre behaviour in both qualifying and the race, with pronounced graining; aerodynamic losses when the team tried to reduce rear-wing load, which cost too much efficiency; and setup compromises intended to counter graining and understeer that ultimately didn’t work.
The post-race review from Vegas, Stella says, provided a wealth of data and a clearer roadmap for improvement. The team has focused on better tyre management, refining aerodynamic efficiency when running lower downforce, and rethinking setup approaches so compromises aren’t as damaging.
Whether those changes will be enough to restore competitiveness at Las Vegas will only be proven on track. With the Drivers’ Championship still contested between Norris, Piastri and Max Verstappen, the event could be pivotal. Stella remains optimistic after the corrective work carried out since the disappointing 2024 weekend.