Max Verstappen celebrating sprint pole in Austin - Photo: Race Pictures

Stella issues worrying verdict after Verstappen's sprint pole in Austin

11:22, 18 Oct

byTobia Elia

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Red Bull are now capable of fighting for pole and victory at every remaining circuit.

"Red Bull have definitely improved their car. They are competitive now and can fight for victories and pole position at every kind of circuit"

- Andrea Stella

Speaking to Sky Sports after Sprint Qualifying in Austin, where Max Verstappen managed to get the better of both McLarens, Stella said: "It confirms that Red Bull have definitely improved their car. They are competitive now and can fight for victories and pole position at every kind of circuit. It’s also positive to see that our car here is competitive compared to some other venues in which we struggled a little bit."

The Italian team boss admitted he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the result but felt the team were still in a strong position heading into today’s Sprint to challenge the Dutchman.

"It’s a good result, not the result we wanted, we are here for pole positions. But I think it’s a good foundation for the Sprint race tomorrow, and also a good foundation to see where we can fine tune a little bit of performance and give it another go at the pole position tomorrow."

McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella - Photo: Race Pictures

McLaren are banking on the heat — and consequently on tyre management — in the race, which has been the MCL39’s main strength throughout the season compared to its rivals.

"Here in Austin, we should observe more tyre degradation. The conditions are very hot. I think we come from races where it was a little bit of procession because there wasn’t much tyre degradation. I would expect here that the race or the Sprint may be more entertaining and their could be more variability based on the behaviour of the tyres."

Finally, Stella added: "Normally our car is decent when there is tyre degradation, so for many reasons, including this one, we look forward to the Sprint race."

Stella gives realistic take on Verstappen's title chances

Despite sitting 63 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri — with Lando Norris also between them — Stella still sees the four-time world champion as a serious contender. He stressed that McLaren can’t afford to relax, even with only a handful of races remaining.

In an interview with Formula 1, Stella highlighted Verstappen’s class, saying the team have never underestimated his capacity to turn things around.

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