Shots are fired from Red Bull, and Andrea Stella parries with finesse. After Max Verstappen’s win at Imola, there were some not-so-subtle messages implying that McLaren’s defeat might be linked to the technical directive (clarifying the contentious issue of alleged tire cooling) issued by the FIA to the teams just before the Italian weekend.
In Monaco, Andrea Stella was asked what insights had emerged from the debrief held after the disappointing Imola race, a question to which the team principal responded very clearly.
“I don’t agree with that statement,” Andrea Stella clarified, contesting the term “disappointing.” “There is a tendency to compare apples to pears. When I was in school, the teacher always said not to compare apples to pears. They urged us to be specific, to be analytical and precise in using information. I believe Imola belongs to a category of circuits that includes tracks like Saudi Arabia and Japan, with high-speed corners and narrow layouts, and if we look at the results from those tracks, we see that Red Bull secured pole positions, and Max won at Suzuka while in Jeddah he only lost because of a penalty.”
“For me, the picture is very consistent with what we saw in Imola,” Andrea Stella continued, “as are the gaps between McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari. If we compare the Imola race to Miami, we’re comparing an apple to a pear. Miami is a low-speed circuit, and thanks to all the investments we’ve made in aerodynamic development, our car has improved a lot in those conditions. We can compare Miami to China or Bahrain, and again, the results are consistent, so I believe we can draw the correct conclusions in terms of factual technical evaluations. Formula 1 is a technical business, but some are skilled at throwing bait around, drifting away from the technical facts—and some people bite.”
Stella then spoke about Monte Carlo, calling it a circuit in a class of its own. “What’s Monaco like? It’s a peach… it has unique characteristics, and as I said earlier, on this type of track I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ferrari ahead. In the future, we might even create additional categories—for example, is Baku a pear or a peach? I suspect it’s a peach, but we could keep this trend going.”
Regarding the two mandatory pit stops introduced by the FIA for Sunday’s race, Andrea Stella aligned himself with those expecting unpredictable scenarios.
“When the possibility of two stops was discussed in the F1 Commission, it seemed like a straightforward solution to improve things compared to last year,” Andrea Stella admitted. “But as the race weekend approached and our strategists began reflecting, it became clear that the implications are far greater than we had considered in the Commission—and I was one of the members present.”
“So, there could be some very interesting scenarios, since this is a track where overtaking is nearly impossible—even with fresh tires against a rival on a heavily worn set. We know that safety cars are common in Monaco, as is the possibility of a red flag. I must say that, in terms of preparation for the weekend, we are still carefully evaluating all the options. But in the end, it should be a good mix in terms of variability and unpredictability, and ultimately, that was the goal of the decision.”
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