With Verstappen closing in, McLaren F1 remains focused on the long haul, aiming for both world titles despite fierce competition.
Just one point! Lando Norris is now only one point behind Max Verstappen in the championship standings.
Even with the best car on the grid, McLaren F1 couldn’t stop the Dutch devil from taking victory in Suzuka. Will the orange team, like in 2024, miss another chance to win the drivers’ title despite having all the tools in their hands?
Will Max Verstappen’s Suzuka victory serve as a wake-up call for McLaren F1? Will it help them realize that Verstappen isn’t an outsider but one of the favorites for the title?
However, Andrea Stella, McLaren F1’s team principal, dismissed the idea that they needed a “wake-up call.” He insisted that his team has always been aware of Max Verstappen’s threat.
“We don’t need reminders like this because we talk about it every Thursday and Sunday before each race weekend,” he told the media.
“We are here, first and foremost, to beat other teams and position McLaren as strongly as possible. When McLaren is in a strong position, it’s the best scenario for both drivers to pursue their ambitions. It’s clear for the team, clear for the drivers.”
In the post-race conference at Suzuka, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri openly expressed concerns about Verstappen’s growing threat, while also acknowledging Charles Leclerc and George Russell as contenders for the title.
“Obviously, when you hear messages like that coming from your drivers, from the track, it can, if necessary, remind us how important it is to work together. Even before it becomes an internal discussion, there was still a lot of work to do to get rid of other competitors because [George] Russell wasn’t far off in China either.”
It was clear that Max Verstappen built his victory on Saturday in Suzuka with an exceptional pole lap.
But with the best car, shouldn’t Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have clinched pole position by at least two-tenths of a second, according to Andrea Stella?
“I’m sure our two drivers themselves would say that their qualifying laps weren’t the best of their careers,” the Italian explained.
“Clearly, when Max raises the bar so high, you have to nail your qualifying laps and extract every millisecond possible. It really came down to milliseconds between third and first place. So yes, I think the Q3 laps were even more decisive than anything that happened during the race.”
“To win a race like this, perfect execution is essential,” he acknowledged.
“In hindsight, the gap we had to Red Bull in qualifying [just 0.044 seconds separated the top three] was also the gap we measured during practice sessions.”
“I encourage everyone here to always look at the practice sessions while remembering that 10 kilograms of fuel on this circuit represents three-tenths of a second, and engine modes can make a few tenths of a second. So, for us, it was very clear that Verstappen was close. We thought we had a tenth, a tenth and a half advantage, which was indeed the case until maybe Q2, until the final attempt in Q3.”
“So, I think, when it comes to milliseconds, everyone always keeps the possibility of saying, ‘I could have done better here or there.’ But these are milliseconds, so I don’t want this issue to overshadow a weekend that was overall very positive.”
Is Red Bull Too Short to Challenge for the Title?
Despite the close battle, Andrea Stella remains optimistic about the long-term future: Red Bull doesn’t seem to have the potential to keep fighting for the title throughout the season.
“The most important condition to target both championships is having the best car,” Stella added.
“It’s crucial that, if we can’t win, we continue to race solidly. If you can’t win, finish on the podium. And in the long term, if you keep performing like this, I think it will pay off. Max, at the moment, is making the difference himself, but it’s very hard to maintain the pace over 24 races if you don’t have the best car.”
Drawing from Enzo Ferrari’s philosophy from decades ago, Andrea Stella emphasizes the importance of gathering consistent points for the championship, as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri did in Suzuka.
“For Lando and Oscar, in terms of points scored, it’s positive, even for their championship hunt, and it’s positive for the team. Then, we know that to beat Max and Red Bull, we need to perform at the highest level, but also consistently.”
“And when you could have won but didn’t, and you finish P2 or P3, it’s still a solid way to race, and I think it will pay off at the end of the season.”
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Stella: McLaren F1 Set to Challenge Verstappen’s Reign
Stella: McLaren F1 Set to Challenge Verstappen’s Reign