Stella: McLaren confident despite Ferrari's clear edge

McLaren remains confident after outperforming Red Bull, despite acknowledging Ferrari’s superiority at the United States Grand Prix.

McLaren F1 team principal, Andrea Stella, stated that being faster than Red Bull was a “reassuring” factor amidst the team’s struggles at the United States Grand Prix.

The Woking-based team arrived in Austin last weekend, having won three out of four races since the summer break and with new updates to introduce to their MCL38.

However, McLaren’s pace proved less competitive than usual at the Circuit of the Americas, with neither driver securing a podium finish for the first time in 14 races.

Lando Norris initially crossed the line in third place, but a penalty for overtaking Max Verstappen outside track limits in the closing laps dropped him down a position.

When asked if McLaren could have performed better, Stella admitted uncertainty.

“It’s difficult to say, as both Ferraris didn’t necessarily need to push at 100% during the race.”

“We already knew before the race that Ferrari most likely had the best car.”

“It was evident throughout the weekend, even in the Sprint. I believe that if they hadn’t been fighting each other, they could have won the Sprint.”

“But finishing behind Ferrari was a good result for us. We weren’t too far off.”

“I think Lando, due to the time lost at the start in the first corner, had to manage his pace in the early part of the stint.”

“After that, we were able to extend the stint and try to reclaim position by stopping late.”

“So, it’s hard to say if we were in a position to fight for the win. I think Ferrari was a bit quicker than us, but it’s reassuring to see that we were still faster than Red Bull.”