McLaren principal Andrea Stella insists Max Verstappen must be considered a genuine Formula 1 title threat. His comments came after qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, even though McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lead the championship battle.
“A firm yes. Can you write it capital [letters]? First of all, he’s Max Verstappen – world champion for the last four years. In a fast car. There are races where McLaren may not enjoy any advantage from a competitiveness point of view. And Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri] may take some points away from each other,” Stella explained.
Back then, Verstappen trailed Piastri by 94 points. After Piastri’s troubled Baku weekend, the deficit is down to 69 with 199 points still open. That remains a steep climb, but Stella’s view now feels more convincing.
McLaren Car Faces Specific Circuit Limitations
McLaren’s overall performance is strong, yet certain tracks have highlighted weaknesses. The MCL39 struggled at Monza and Baku, where straight-line braking and low tyre wear mattered most. Stella admitted Las Vegas could expose similar flaws.
“If you had asked me what is the most difficult weekend, I would have said it could be Baku or Vegas,” he noted.
“We know very well that our car is very competitive in long, medium-speed corners, of which we have none here in Baku, likewise in Vegas. The car is not particularly effective in straight-line braking, of which you have a lot here.”
Circuits like Singapore and Qatar, with hotter conditions and higher tyre degradation, should allow McLaren to shine. Stella added, “If there is high degradation, we may be more competitive. With low degradation, like we have seen in Monza, then not necessarily we have the best race car.”
Verstappen and Red Bull’s Resurgence
Red Bull’s form has improved, and Stella admitted their Monza performance went beyond track-specific strengths.
“We have already seen in Monza that they improved, because the way they won Monza was something more, in our assessment, than simply a car that adapts well at low drag. They were fast in the corners, medium speed and low speed corners, fast in the straights, and we know that Max, when he has a competitive car, can deliver strong weekends. We will see now in Singapore, which should be more of one in which we should perform well. Hopefully we can go back to fighting for victories, and then we will see how the rest of the championship will unfold. But definitely Max is in contention. We knew it, and we got confirmation.”
Warning McLaren Against Complacency
Stella’s words also serve as a reminder to his team. With McLaren needing only 13 points in Singapore to secure the constructors’ crown, easing off could be risky.
“When you race at the top of Formula 1 the competition is so tight, simply you cannot afford errors because there will be your contenders that are ready to take advantage,” he warned.
“Considering the drivers’ championship, certainly the margin for error reduce further, but this is always the ethos when you race in Formula 1. Hopefully some of the inaccuracies and issues have accumulated in this weekend, because not only did we not have a fast enough car, but we also had some reliability issues that cost Oscar some time during practice. Therefore, there’s quite a lot to take away for the drivers, but also for the team.”
McLaren now looks to Singapore, where Norris defeated Verstappen by 21 seconds last year. A strong weekend would seal the constructors’ title again and calm talk of a Verstappen comeback in the championship race.
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