McLaren's Andrea Stella says the team was weird to struggle at rough Sepang track that should have suited their car characteristics.

McLaren suffered a disappointing weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, finishing as Formula 1's fourth-fastest car despite expecting the higher downforce demands at Sepang to play to their strengths. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified sixth and seventh, finishing six-tenths behind Max Verstappen's pole position time.

Team principal Andrea Stella described the downturn as particularly puzzling after McLaren had been class-leading at Zandvoort and Madrid. The team took upgrades to Hungary and were in condition for pole position there and in subsequent races, but saw competitors develop their cars with bigger steps than McLaren managed.

Stella noted that McLaren actually increased the car's potential with their upgrades, but the relative competitiveness on track suggested they had lost ground to other teams. He emphasized that the tough Malaysian track conditions, including the abrasive tarmac, made the car operate in a weird way beyond just tire considerations.

The team principal warned against drawing too many conclusions from one weekend on the calendar's toughest asphalt, noting that Mercedes also struggled despite bringing a major upgrade package. McLaren expects smaller development items to arrive over the final races, hoping to make another step and return to fighting for podiums.