“It’s not up to Lando [Norris], it’s up to the team giving him the winning material and he’s gonna do it,” said Andrea Stella after the Miami Grand Prix. The Team Principal is extremely pleased with Lando Norris‘ win, as is most of the F1 community. Even Max Verstappen was found with a wide smile while celebrating his friend’s maiden F1 victory. However, after the race, Stella made it clear that McLaren was coming for Red Bull and this might not be the only time Verstappen ends up in the rearview mirror.
Tom Clarkson and the F1 Nation podcast took to the paddocks to talk to the McLaren Team Principal, leading to some interesting insights. While Andrea Stella is impressed with his team’s performance, he knows that the main goal is consistency. To bring about a similar pace, race after race is challenging, especially when the other teams are not sitting around idle. McLaren could gain such pace in the race mainly due to their recent upgrades implemented on the cars and Stella had more news on that.
Andrea Stella breaks down McLaren’s strategy
McLaren is making huge progress and other teams have witnessed it in Miami. Following the race, the F1 Nation podcast spoke to Andrea Stella and that’s where we learned about McLaren’s 2-step program for beating Red Bull. Stella told Tom Clarkson, “We know that we did improve the car because we see that the data correlate well on track with the development tools, so we are encouraged and optimistic.”
However, the progress so far is not enough, as Stella said, “But I think looking at the numbers, looking at how much we actually improve the car, I would have said that we needed two steps of this size to be competitive regularly with Red Bull, and we have delivered only one yet. “
The upgrades made all the changes, with not only Lando Norris winning the race but also Oscar Piastri leading both Red Bulls points of the race. The McLaren team principal warns off his competitors by saying, “So, we look forward to the next one, and this would make you much more motivated that we can take the serious challenge to Red Bull. So, good solid step, we’re pleased with that.”
It’s only Miami that Lando Norris had his first taste of victory and the real hunger has just begun. He won the race on merit, and all the other teams joined in on the celebration.
Andrea Stella talks about other team’s sportsmanship
“That’s certainly a feel-good victory for me and for everyone at McLaren: our partners, our fans,” Andrea Stella said. After the race, many drivers came in to congratulate Lando Norris on his win. Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell were a few names that joined the celebration.
Upon seeing the response from the competitors, the team principal expressed, “I’m really impressed by the warmth that we have received by our competitors. You know, like if they feel good or not, I’m not sure, but definitely they have shown a lot of fair play, a lot of sportsmanship.”
Stating that, “These are values; they are important, and I appreciate that we show these not only in words but also with this kind of gesture. So, fair play and hats off to our competitors.” He concluded with a statement that will keep other teams on their toes, saying, “But obviously, once we are on track, we try to fight hard and compete with each other but always within the regulations and always with respect, and yeah.”
With the progress that McLaren has made, do you think it will be Oscar Piastri’s turn next to win a Grand Prix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post McLaren Boss Sends Ominous Warning to Max Verstappen: Lando Norris’ Miami Win Was Only ‘Step 1 of 2′ appeared first on EssentiallySports.
