Despite Verstappen’s comeback, Andrea Stella remains unfazed: for the Italian, the odds are still in McLaren’s favor
After a disastrous start, with both cars retired in Saturday’s Sprint, the conclusion of the weekend in Austin for McLaren turned out to be two-sided. While Andrea Stella ‘s team can be pleased with the performance of Lando Norris, who finished second after a race conducted with extreme intelligence against a revived Charles Leclerc, they must reckon with another opaque performance by Oscar Piastri, who finished only fifth.
Andrea Stella’s words after Austin
The Italian team principal analyzed the race, providing an account of what happened: “Today was a relatively reassuring race, because I think that, without having to fight with Charles — which in itself was an entertaining battle — Lando had the pace to win the race”. We saw Lando at the peak of his abilities. If anything, we just need to check whether there was an opportunity in Turn 1 to maintain the position: the race could have unfolded completely differently if we had been behind Max instead of Charles “.
Inevitable also is the comment regarding the fight for the Drivers’ World Championship, now that the games seem to be reopening. Although Stella recognizes Verstappen as a serious contender for the final victory, the Italian coach is convinced that McLaren is still in full control of the season: ” We know that when Max has the material to win, he becomes a very serious candidate for victory. That said, this doesn’t change our understanding of the situation, nor does it change what we do “.
“We just have to keep maximising performance and delivering strong weekends. The outcome of this season and the Drivers’ Championship is in our hands, not in anyone else’s. This is the mindset we want to have, and it is the mindset we will maintain“.
Photo: McLaren, F1
