McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has taken a first, cautious look at the intra-team balance of power ahead of the new F1 season. After the private shakedown in Barcelona and the opening three-day test in Bahrain the long runs have been analysed. From that the Italian draws a clear, if provisional, conclusion: Ferrari and Mercedes currently look the most competitive.
According to Stella, a number of notable signals emerged during the first public tests in Bahrain. “In terms of race pace I can confirm Ferrari looks fairly competitive,” he started to the assembled media. He then pointed to specific runs from Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. “If you compare Hamilton and Antonelli with Piastri, you can say they were quicker than us. Leclerc also appeared very competitive.”
Test results, however, do not tell the whole story, Stella stressed. Teams can still hold pace in reserve or wait on particular upgrades and setups. “I would urge everyone not to draw too many conclusions from these tests,” he said firmly. “But based on the initial indicators, Ferrari and Mercedes are, for the moment, at the top when it comes to the relative balance of power.”
McLaren satisfied with test programme
That doesn’t change the fact that McLaren is pleased with the opening test days. The MCL40 put in plenty of trouble-free kilometres. Still, Stella is not prepared to make definitive claims about the new car’s actual pace. “This test has gone extraordinarily well, given the distance covered, the reliability and the functionality,” he said, clearly pleased. “We were able to complete all the planned tests. The car — a completely new project — has therefore been officially approved.”
“We have a positive view of the work done so far,” he added. “The first days in Barcelona were hard graft to get the project up and running, but afterwards the results have been, in our view, very encouraging.” In Barcelona, McLaren suffered a fuel issue during a Piastri running session, but that was resolved relatively quickly. Melbourne will have to show what the final pecking order looks like. For now the top teams are looking ahead to the start of the new season with confidence.
