Lando Norris lost an estimated 0.2 seconds per lap in Florida following a Turn 1 hit from Nyck de Vries that damaged his floor. He finished 17th as Oscar Piastri classified in 19th.
The team had considered retiring Piastri altogether as the rookie worked to manage spiking brake temperatures while a fix for a brake-by-wire hydraulic system fault was sought.
With that misfortune arriving straight after a 9-11 result in Azerbaijan when a revised floor was introduced, the dismal Miami showing has brought McLaren back down to earth.
Team principal Stella said: “The main takeaway is that after a decent weekend in Baku from a performance point of view, we had a reality check.
“The information we gained here helps us understand that some development directions still need to be pursued, like improving the car in off-brakes, off-throttle.
“At the moment, the car just doesn't work in this condition. At tracks like this, this becomes too much of a limitation.”
The Italian added that McLaren’s only shot at major progress in the race would have come from an incident to induce a safety car and shake up strategy. But the full 57 laps ran without a retirement or a single yellow flag incident.
Stella continued: “We would have needed today some events in the race, a safety car or so, but nothing happened.
“So, the limitations for a performance point of view could not be overcome thanks to some situational elements. We go away with no points.”
Source: Autosport