HOW NORRIS' RADIO OFFER SUPPORTED STELLA'S TEAM-FIRST ETHOS

Lando Norris offered mid-race to sacrifice track position for Oscar Piastri in Singapore, a clear signal that Andrea Stella's post-Sprint lecture landed. The gesture came one day after the teammates tangled in the Sprint, costing McLaren fourth and fifth — exactly the positions they clawed back Sunday.

Piastri picked up a slow puncture that triggered an extra stop, and Norris radioed asking if he could help. He didn't need to in the end, but Stella called the offer proof that the team-first message has taken hold. "This is what the one thousand people that work at McLaren expect from our drivers," Stella said.

McLaren bet both cars on the soft tire at the start, avoiding the medium-tire degradation trap that swallowed Lewis Hamilton. Fourth and fifth was the ceiling on merit, Stella admitted, but after a scoreless run and a messy Saturday, he'll take the points reset heading into the next triple-header with upgrades in tow.