Stella McLaren confident despite Ferrari's clear edge s

McLaren outpaces Red Bull but admits Ferrari dominance

24/10/2024

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.”

Stella McLaren confident despite Ferrari's clear edge s

Stella: McLaren confident despite Ferrari’s clear edge Stella: McLaren confident despite Ferrari’s clear edge

F1 Standings 2025
F1 Standings 2025
#
Driver
Points
1
Driver Flag
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
0
2
Driver Flag
Lando Norris
McLaren
0
3
Driver Flag
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
0
4
Driver Flag
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
0
5
Driver Flag
Carlos Sainz
Williams
0
6
Driver Flag
George Russell
Mercedes
0
#
Team
Points
1
McLaren
Norris & Piastri
0
2
Ferrari
Leclerc & Hamilton
0
3
Red Bull
Verstappen & Lawson
0
4
Mercedes
Russell & Antonelli
0
5
Aston Martin
Alonso & Stroll
0
6
Alpine
Gasly & Doohan
0
F1 Calendar 2025
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race Date
Australia Flag
Australian
Albert Park
16 Mar
China Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japan Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Bahrain International
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabian
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
FULL CALENDAR
Race Center

Race Center

Australian flag
Australian GP
13 Mar - 16 Mar
Your time Local time
FP1 13 MAR 15:30
FP2 13 MAR 19:00
FP3 14 MAR 15:30
QU 14 MAR 19:00
RACE 15 MAR 18:00
Go toTop