F1 2024 – McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella believes the MCL38's performance is "very, very close" to that of Red Bull. The updates made to McLaren at the Miami Grand Prix gave a huge boost to the team which, with Lando Norris, won the race and then scored a second place in each of the grands prix that followed.
Looking at the big picture, Stella was encouraged by the impressive performances his team is showing, especially compared to the difficult start to 2023.
“I think in Canada the difference in qualifying was 20 thousandths of a second, in Spain it was again a few thousandths and very similar in the race. This is a great achievement for McLaren if we think about what this interview would have been like 12 months ago. So now we talk about being on par with Red Bull, but we want to continue to improve the car”.
“We must maintain the trajectory. It's not a given, it requires a lot of work, it requires us to continue to evolve what we know about the car so that we can improve it. The people at McLaren are very committed and I am optimistic about the futureor".
Verstappen took the pole in the first seven races of 2024, but now has not recorded one since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. And after losing to Norris in qualifying in Spain before narrowly beating him in the race, Verstappen praised the progress made by Woking.
“I always knew it would be very close – said Max – McLaren is doing a great job. They have brought many good upgrades to their car and they really seem to work. For our part, we brought some things that didn't offer the same progress as the competition”.
“So now it's up to us to try to push a little more, to try to make that little leap forward again. Because I clearly think that some of that pace was missing, but even when we had to push, we couldn't manage the tires like Lando. These types of things are crucial on most tracks where there is some degradation. So yes, we need to try to be better in this aspect“, concluded the three-time world champion.
Despite McLaren's excellent recent form, the Ferrari remains ahead of them in second place in the constructors' championship, while the leaders Red Bull has a 93 point advantage over the Woking team. With these numbers, can we therefore talk about a two-man fight? After Spielberg sprint weekend we will know more.
Crediti foto: Oracle Red Bull Racing, McLaren