McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella revealed the factors that contributed to Lando Norris' success on the podium in China.
Ahead of the sport's return to the Shanghai International Circuit, Stella explained that the event will serve as a “damage determination” round for the Woking-based team.
However, he showed strong pace throughout with Norris emerging fastest in qualifying in the sprint race before finishing second in the Grand Prix.
It was the 24-year-old's second visit to the podium in three races.
Stella detailed several factors behind the Briton's strong pace, including the performance of the front tires along the track.
“I think it's a track where there aren't a lot of front restrictions,” Stella told media outlets including: Racing News 365.
“Since we went to wider tyres, the situation in China doesn't seem to be as difficult for the front tires as it was in the past.
“At the same time, I think the conditions helped maintain control of the rear, especially the rear axle [in the race]It wasn't overheating.
Post-race changes
Stella continued: “If we look at the sprint, we had a bit of overheating. Ferrari seemed to be more comfortable, and Max had a big advantage. I think you have these situations when there is a deterioration.
“but [the grand prix] It was more under control. So I think we're struggling a little more than a limited circle and here that wasn't the case. The rear axle was already under control due to the cold conditions.
“So there are a combination of factors that helped the performance of our car.”
Stella added the new regulation to open up Parc Vermet conditions after the Sprint helped speed up McLaren's race pace.
“I also think that some of the adjustments we made to the settings after the race helped the race pace, because we changed the car with the aim of improving the race pace, rather than qualifying,” he said.
“So we were really surprised to see that still in the playoffs we were decent.
“But it seems to have helped in the race. There are multiple factors, not one silver bullet.”
