Max Verstappen added another victory to his tally at Baku, and Andrea Stella confirmed that McLaren is well aware of the threat he poses in the drivers’ championship. The McLaren team principal reiterated that, in his view, Verstappen is unquestionably in contention for the title, especially after his consecutive wins in Monza and Baku. Now, Stella has urged his drivers to avoid further mistakes to prevent letting the championship slip away. “Yes, in capital letters,” he said when asked whether he considered the Red Bull driver a serious contender.
With the pressure mounting, McLaren drivers have seemed slightly on edge. However, considering they have already won 12 out of 17 races this season, bouncing back should not be a problem. Still, the threat from Verstappen in the championship adds extra weight on Norris and Piastri’s shoulders, and Stella strongly emphasized the importance of avoiding weekends like Baku.
Stella’s words
After Verstappen’s Baku triumph, during a challenging weekend for McLaren, Stella confirmed the Dutchman’s return to the title fight. “Yes, in capital letters,” he said. “We’re talking about Max Verstappen, we’re talking about Red Bull.”
Now, the four-time world champion has closed the gap to the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, to 69 points.
“We saw in Monza that they have improved. It seems they have taken a step forward with their car. The way they won in Monza was, in our assessment, more than just a car that suits low downforce tracks,” Stella explained.
He added: “They were quick in corners, both medium and low speed, fast on the straights, and we know that when Max has a competitive car, he can deliver successful weekends. On the other hand, we also knew that Baku would be a tough track for us.”
“So now we’ll see in Singapore, which should be a weekend where we should perform well. Hopefully, we can fight for the win again, and then we’ll see how the rest of the championship develops. But certainly, Max is in contention for the drivers’ championship. We knew it, and now it’s confirmed,” the Italian concluded.
Differences between Red Bull and McLaren
The Baku GP delivered contrasting results for McLaren and Red Bull. While Piastri crashed on the first lap and Norris finished seventh, Verstappen won, and Tsunoda scored his best result to date with sixth place.
The McLaren team principal highlighted that, given recent pit-stop issues, avoiding errors is crucial for both the team and the drivers. “When you race in Formula 1, at the very top… as I said, the competition is so tight that you simply cannot afford mistakes in any case. Your rivals will be ready to take advantage.”
“Previously, it could have been Mercedes, like in Canada, or Max, at the start of the season. We must not forget that Red Bull already won two races at the start of the season [Suzuka and Imola]. Then, they may have experienced a drop in performance, but now they seem back on track,” Stella added.
“They were in contention for victories from the start of the season. For us, particularly in the drivers’ championship, the margin for error is smaller, but that’s always the philosophy in Formula 1,” he said.
“I hope all the mistakes and issues were concentrated in that Baku weekend. Because we must remember that not only did we not have a fast enough car, but we also had reliability problems that cost Oscar some time in practice.”
“Therefore, there is a lot to learn for the drivers, but also for the team,” Stella concluded.
Leave a Reply