McLaren misjudged the Sepang damp-track gamble and paid for it with a P6/P9 finish eight days after blanking in Baku. Team principal Andrea Stella sent both drivers to the grid on medium slicks, betting that the circuit's rough surface would generate heat fast enough to make them work. It didn't. Piastri bailed after the second formation lap and salvaged sixth; Norris rode it out, plummeted to P15, and clawed back to ninth. "It took more laps than we thought," Stella admitted, calling it an "incorrect judgment" on the crossover point. The bigger worry: McLaren brought upgrades to Hungary and has slid backward while rivals closed the gap. Stella couldn't explain it from the data but acknowledged competitors "developed their car with bigger steps." Singapore looms next weekend, and the team that was winning races a month ago now needs answers more than points.
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