Andrea Stella highlighted the stark contrast between Max Verstappen‘s victory at the Brazilian GP and the challenges McLaren faced. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured a strong 1-2 finish in the sprint race and the former clinched pole position in qualifying.
After struggling severely at the Interlagos, team principal Andrea Stella emphasized that their main focus is now on the Constructors’ Championship. Since the Miami GP, McLaren has had the best car in Formula 1 and has climbed to the top of the table.
In terms of the Constructors Championship, I don’t think it changes anything because it was always our priority. Even when there was a call to be made to support one driver or the other, it was always secondary to actually maximizing the Constructors Championship.
Andrea Stella said, as reported by GPblog.com
Lando Norris‘ fight in the Drivers’ Championship took a hit at the Brazilian GP, where he lost 18 points. This setback has almost ended his hopes of winning his first world title. Despite Max Verstappen’s incredible win, it doesn’t change anything in terms of the Constructors’ Championship as the Milton Keynes-based team sits still far from them.
Stella emphasized that the upcoming race in Abu Dhabi should be favorable for McLaren. However, he noted that the Las Vegas race would present a challenge for the team. Meanwhile, Ferrari, currently in second place in the table, is better suited to that track than McLaren.
Mathematically we are still in the championship. We will now try to win the coming races. The last two venues [Qatar and Abu Dhabi] should be quite good. Vegas will be potentially more of a Ferrari track, we will see. But all to play for and the Constructors Championship remains and has always been our priority.
Andrea Stella added
Andrea Stella admits having internal talks about Ferrari being a potential threat
Since the Monza race, Ferrari has emerged as a serious contender for the Constructors’ Championship after McLaren. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz delivered impressive performances, winning two out of three races in the recent triple header.
Following their victory in Italy, Andrea Stella recognized Ferrari’s potential in challenging the Woking-based team and admitted to having internal discussions on how to tackle them. The Scuderia recently overtook Red Bull in Austin to take second place it the table.
But for us, personally, at McLaren, we have always internally talked of Ferrari being a potential problem in terms of being a candidate for the championship because it has been very clear that, especially at Monza and afterwards, they had a very fast car.
Andrea Stella said, as reported by GPblog.com
Currently, McLaren sits 36 points ahead of Ferrari. The team will now focus on maintaining the lead till the end of the season and win its first title in 26 years.
