Published 21:09 IST, September 9th 2024

How Ferrari Getting Back In Form Is Good And Bad For McLaren, Explains Andrea Stella

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has opened up on how Ferrari being dominant is both good and bad for McLaren.

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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc won the Italian GP leaving behind Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren. | Image: AP
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McLaren has had a scary rise in the championship standings during the currently ongoing Formula One season. The current championship leaders and defending champions, Red Bull Racing have seen a massive drop in performance which has seen them struggle to even get on the podium, something which always featured a Red Bull driver over the past few seasons. As of right now, Red Bull is barely holding on to their lead in the constructors championship by just 8 points. 

In this tale of McLaren and Red Bull, Ferrari has emerged as a surprise competitor for the Constructors Championship as they are right behind McLaren and only 31 points separate the Italians and the British team. 

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McLaren Team Principal Believes Ferrari Being In-form Is Both Good And Bad 

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes that Ferrari coming back into form and competing for race wins is both good and bad for McLaren. This is because it provides an advantage to McLaren as Ferrari being in form will allow a lot of cars to come in between McLaren and Red Bull. This will allow for McLaren to pick up more points than Red Bull. 

As for the disadvantage, Ferrari being in-form will also lead to McLaren fighting for race wins and wherever Ferrari wins a race it would result in McLaren losing out on points and will further Ferrari's cause for the Constructors Championship. 

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Andrea Stella Gives His Opinion

“I want to capitalise more on the competitiveness of the car. In terms of the race, I think there may be a misunderstanding that the McLaren was by far the fastest car.

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“I think Leclerc was as fast as the McLaren, as fast as Oscar in the first stint. Even in the second stint, he was behind the two McLarens and he could stay with the two McLarens.

“I think Ferrari this weekend were as competitive as us, at least with Leclerc, which for us is bad news. It meant we couldn’t simply cruise in the race, we needed to deal with them, and they did a good job exploiting some of the difference.

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“At the same time, it is good news as it means we have more cars that can take points away [from] Red Bull, so I think actually this is better news for us.

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“We need to make sure we maximize the potential that is available in the car, even if it means Ferrari will set a very serious challenge for victory,” said Andrea Stella further explaining how the Ferrari situation could either be an advantage or a disadvantage for McLaren.

21:09 IST, September 9th 2024