McLaren F1 continues to impress with the MCL39, as Stella admits surprise at the car’s advantage, especially on long-corner circuits.
Andrea Stella, the McLaren F1 team principal, explained how the team has managed to capitalize on the strengths of its 2024 car to continue its current dominance in Formula 1.
The Woking-based team secured another victory in Spain thanks to Oscar Piastri, and with Lando Norris finishing second, they achieved their third one-two finish of the season.
Their MCL39 has dominated the field so far, and the team has taken another step forward compared to the MCL38, which improved in 2024 to win the Constructors’ Championship.
“In a way, I’m a bit surprised that we’ve had such a clear advantage,” Stella admitted.
“I mostly expected Red Bull to be a little closer in Barcelona, given the similar characteristics of the Suzuka and Imola circuits.”
“In hindsight, considering the very high temperatures, I think the limitations, which for us were mostly related to the rear end, were significant.”
“If that was the case for everyone, I think that’s where our car performs very well. If we want to get a bit more technical, one of the characteristics of Spain is the length of the corners. Unlike Imola, where the corners are relatively shorter.”
Stella then explained that one of last year’s car’s main strengths was its ability to perform well on circuits with longer corners — a strength McLaren has managed to retain despite focusing on other aspects of the car.
“In those long corners, the MCL39 has managed to retain some qualities of its predecessor. Last year, for example, at Zandvoort — another circuit with long corners — Lando dominated the weekend.”
“We retained some strengths from an aerodynamic point of view, despite the improvements made to the car over the winter in other areas. And overall, it was rewarding on this type of circuit. Even though the speed range is similar to that of some other tracks, the length of the corners was an asset for us in Spain.”