Stella responds to Verstappen's charge with McLaren empowerment claim
Photo: RacePictures.
Updated:
1 Comments
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.
McLaren Team boss Andrea Stella warns Drivers’ Championship remains in McLaren’s hands despite Max Verstappen's and Red Bull's late charge.
The outcome of this season and the Drivers’ Championship is in our hands, it’s not in someone else’s hands.- Andrea Stella.
Andrea Stella drew encouragement from the pace shown by Lando Norris in Texas, and despite Max Verstappen taking the win, the McLaren team boss is convinced the championship remains his team’s to lose.
The championship leader Oscar Piastri has seen his lead cut by 64 points over the last four rounds, while Norris’ gap to the Red Bull driver has also been dramatically reduced to 26.
Reflecting on the race, with Norris held up most of the time behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Piastri stranded in no man's land fighting to stay ahead of George Russell in the grey battle for P5, Stella was reassured by the fact that Norris could have challenged Verstappen for victory at COTA.
ADVERTISEMENT
Andrea Stella on the pit wall- Photo: Race Pictures
He told GPblog: “Today is a relatively reassuring race because I think without having to fight with Charles, which was certainly an entertaining fight itself, I think Lando had the pace to win the race today.
“Obviously, he needed to gain the position on track, which is never easy with Max, and with a one-stop strategy, not necessarily would we have had many opportunities from a strategic point of view. But performance-wise, I think we are reassured that the pace was sufficient to fight for the victory.”
Acknowledging the threat Verstappen poses to the team’s Drivers’ Championship hopes, Stella argued McLaren would remain unmoved by the reigning F1 champion’s charge.
Max Verstappen took a dominant victory in Austin - Photo: Marco Miltenburg, RacePictures
ADVERTISEMENT
He continued: “I said very clearly in capital letters that Max was in the contest for the Drivers’ Championship, and when I say something, I mean it.
“For me, there’s no mystery. We know that when Max has the material to win, he becomes a very serious candidate to win. So it doesn’t change what our understanding of the situation is, it doesn’t change what we do.
“We just have to keep maximising the performance and keep executing good weekends… The outcome of this season and the Drivers’ Championship is in our hands, it’s not in someone else’s hands. That’s the mindset that we want to have and that’s the mindset that we will have,” he concluded.
Stella issues warning to Norris and Piastri
The Italian engineer believes that McLaren’s pace has been sufficient in recent rounds to achieve better results, and he argues that any shortcomings lie with the drivers themselves.
ADVERTISEMENT
GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update
Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google
