McLaren's Malaysia weekend raised more questions than answers. After dominating at Zandvoort and Madrid, the papaya squad dropped to fourth-fastest at Sepang, with Norris and Piastri six tenths off pole and stranded in sixth and seventh on the grid. Team principal Andrea Stella pointed to the circuit's notoriously abrasive tarmac, saying the MCL40 "operates in a weird way" on the rough surface—and not just from a tyre degradation standpoint. The team sees no anomalies in its data, but Stella acknowledged rivals may have delivered bigger development steps while McLaren's recent upgrades haven't translated into track position. Mercedes struggled too despite a major package, suggesting Sepang's unique characteristics exposed weaknesses that won't repeat elsewhere. Stella wants to see Singapore before drawing conclusions. More development items are queued for the final races, but McLaren's championship margin just got thinner.
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