Red Bull McLaren thinks the mandated 18-lap stints in Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix flattered its performance as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris stuck close to Red Bull’s winner Max Versta

Piastri took his second grand prix podium in F1 by finishing 4.5s behind the Dutchman at Losail, with Norris crossing the line in third just one second behind his team-mate.

Due to concerns over potential tyre failures, stint lengths were reduced to a maximum of 18 laps on a single set of tyres, effectively mandating three-stops in the 57-lap race.

McLaren was tipped to excel on the high downforce track and its one-lap pace indeed appeared genuine, as evidenced by Piastri winning Saturday’s 19-lap sprint from pole.

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ccording to team boss Andrea Stella, the McLarens managed to stick closer to Verstappen over a full grand prix distance because Red Bull wasn’t fully able to flex its muscle.

“I think first of all the leader’s strategy is a little sub-optimal from a race time point of view, because it is the safest strategy when you add in the margin,” Stella said.

“It protects you from a late safety car, so there is a flattering element in the fact that they were on a strategy that loses time.

“Secondly, I am not sure how much they were pushing. I was certainly perceiving that maybe Max didn’t have so much in hand like he had other times.”