McLaren boss Stella lays himself at Verstappen's feet: 'He is Max Verstappen'
Andrea Stella stands fast on McLaren's racing principles. Photo: RacePictures.
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A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
Max Verstappen ended up clinching pole position ahead of both McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, something the Woking-based team's principal, Andrea Stella, is not surprised by.
Verstappen has earned the compliments of Red Bull Racing's team principal of course, but also of his rival team's CEO Zak Brown. Now Andrea Stella follows his team's executive director's suit.
Stella is no longer surprised by Verstappen
Speaking to Viaplay, the Italian claimed to be unsurprised by the Dutchman's performance on Saturday afternoon in the dying moments of qualifying.
"Look, I stopped being impressed by Max Verstappen because it's Max," Stella lauded Verstappen.
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"You know he can do anything, he can do anything. I think today he pulled off a superb lap in the final attempt in Q3," added Stella signalling the final push lap where Verstappen was over two tenths quicker than both McLaren drivers after the first two sectors. The gap however, decreased in the final sector to be naught more than a tenth, a fact that Stella believes magnifies the Dutchman's lap.
"There is more gap between the pole position and second and between second and fifth so well done to Max," concluded the Italian.
Oscar Piastri came home in P2, with his teammate right behind him in P3. George Russell bagged P4 ahead of Lewis Hamilton in P5. The Italian team boss also recognised Russell's efforts to slot in between the McLarens and the leading Ferrari driven by Hamilton.
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