After the São Paulo Grand Prix, Andrea Stella is convinced that Max Verstappen would have fought for victory without the qualifying problem. “They show very strong pace in the race,” says the McLaren team boss. “Without the situation yesterday in qualifying, Verstappen would have been there to win.” The Red Bull driver had moved up to third place after starting from the pit lane and suffering an early puncture.
The race showed how strong Red Bull was in terms of race pace. After his first stop, Verstappen was around six tenths faster per lap than Lando Norris at the front. By lap 21 he was already back in the top 5. Compared to Norris, the pace was later a little tighter, but overall Verstappen was around two to three tenths faster per lap in the last two stints.
McLaren: Red Bull did everything right with the last stop
When Red Bull called Verstappen into the pits again shortly before the end to put on soft tires, Stella wasn’t surprised. “I was honestly happy because it made our lives a little easier,” he says. “But seriously – that was the right decision. The tire degradation was extreme. At some point the rubber simply disappeared and continuing to drive would have been a massive risk.”
Stella emphasizes that Red Bull did everything right. “Today the level of attrition was very high. I think they knew that going to the end would have been a big risk.” The decision to switch to fresh softs was therefore understandable.
Stella about changing the engine: It hardly brings any performance
There were also discussions about Red Bull’s engine change. Stella explains that a new engine hardly brings any performance advantages these days. “These power units hardly show any loss of performance these days,” he says. “Usually a new engine doesn’t do enough to justify a grid penalty.”
The McLaren team boss also raises a question of costs. “If the engine was changed for performance reasons, that should actually be included in the cost cap,” says Stella. “I don’t know if that’s how it’s handled at Honda, but it would be interesting to see.”
McLaren is learning positive lessons
The weekend was still a success for McLaren. Lando Norris won both the sprint and the main race, while Oscar Piastri also showed strong pace for much of Sunday. “In the second and third stints the pace was encouraging,” says Stella. “Oscar was able to implement many of the things we talked about – especially with little grip.” After a difficult first stint, Piastri found his rhythm and, according to Stella, “delivered a good performance.”
Stella is also more optimistic about the coming races than in the past, but warns about the special conditions in Las Vegas. “Last year it was one of our most difficult races,” he says. “We had massive graining and aerodynamic efficiency problems. We know which direction we have to go, but we’ll only see on site whether it’s enough.”
Norris can’t be beaten anymore?
Stella leaves it open whether Lando Norris can still be beaten in the title fight with a 24-point lead. “For me it’s all academic,” he says. “We’re looking from weekend to weekend. If we perform like we did here and in Mexico, we’ll maximize our points. Only after Vegas will we really see where we stand.”
In the end, Stella draws a clear conclusion: “We were strong, but Red Bull was perhaps even stronger. That is the level at which we measure ourselves.”