Andrea Stella focuses on Las Vegas: “This time there will be no problems”. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes the team has the potential to compete for victory at the Las Vegas GP.

McLaren enters the Las Vegas Grand Prix with confidence after a season that has seen the team battle for the championship alongside Max Verstappen. Track characteristics will play a significant role, helping or hindering McLaren and Red Bull. Historically, the MCL39 has appeared less competitive on low-downforce circuits such as Monza and Baku, where Verstappen secured commanding victories.

The calendar features another similar circuit — Las Vegas — where McLaren’s best result was sixth place, achieved by Lando Norris in 2024. Despite this, team principal Andrea Stella is not worried and believes the papaya team can challenge for victory even on the fast Nevada track.

Stella’s thoughts on Las Vegas

“Las Vegas has proven to be a challenge for McLaren in the past, and last year we were not competitive,” Stella said in Mexico. “At least during the race, we made some adjustments to see if we could counter the graining issue. This year, graining appears much less pronounced than in 2024, so we might see a slightly different Las Vegas race.”

He added, “I think Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will have no problems with track configuration over the next four races. We just need to ensure we maximize the car’s performance, as we managed to do in Mexico. I believe in the past few races we haven’t always been able to fully exploit it.”