Andrea Stella almost incredulous about Norris-Piastri dominance in Australia qualifying. Andrea Stella is amazed by the advantage over rivals on a circuit like Albert Park.

GP Australia: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on top in Q3
There couldn’t have been a better start to the F1 season for McLaren and team principal Andrea Stella. The Woking-based team, already a favorite from the three days of testing in Bahrain, confirmed expectations by showing good pace in free practice and, most importantly, securing a fantastic front row at the end of the Australian GP qualifying. In Melbourne, on a circuit very different and in conditions unlike those seen in Sakhir, the MCL39 remained the car to beat, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri able to inflict considerable gaps in Q3 – especially considering the strong balance of recent times – to all the rivals.

McLaren, Andrea Stella speaks
This is how the engineer from Orvieto sees the hopes cultivated during the winter come to fruition on track, when he said that his goal was to make Formula 1 a little less exciting. He was clearly referring to the possibility of dominating the sessions with large gaps to the competitors, thus reducing the element of uncertainty that characterized last season. “Yes, it’s definitely – Andrea Stella said to Sky UK microphones right after the chequered flag of qualifying – a perfect way to start the season. It’s almost surprising, in some ways, that the car showed such consistent strength on a track we didn’t think would be one of our favorites of the season.”

A statement of intent that could be daunting, especially when the tracks that Woking’s engineers consider favorable for the MCL39 arrive. “I take the opportunity – the pit wall boss continued – to thank the whole team because every man and woman worked incredibly hard during the winter to improve a car that was already quite competitive, already a world championship-winning car. We know we can’t rest on our laurels because Formula 1 is experiencing one of the most competitive situations ever seen, with so many cars capable of fighting for victory. So, a big thank you goes to the team in the factory and to the whole McLaren team that stayed united and was great at maximizing this potential.” – the former Ferrari race engineer concluded.