Team Principal Andrea Stella is already looking ahead to the second half of the season. McLaren entered this year’s summer break as the undisputed favourite for the constructors’ title, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done for the dominant team. Stella reveals how McLaren has upgraded the MCL39 during the races leading up to the summer holiday. He also identifies the Zandvoort circuit as a strong track for the McLaren car.
With four consecutive 1-2 finishes, McLaren entered the summer break in excellent form. Although it varied from Grand Prix to Grand Prix which of the two drivers – Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri – crossed the finish line first, it was always a driver in papaya. McLaren has now built up a lead of 299 World Championship points over second-place Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, but is certainly not resting on its laurels yet.
“In recent races, we have upgraded the car with a number of parts during almost every race,” Stella revealed in Hungary. “I think here, at the Hungaroring, despite the result in Q3 (during qualifying), it has actually been proven that the car is faster again.”
Zandvoort
The Italian team boss was then asked about which circuits McLaren can still perform well on, and thereby further extend their lead. “I think we have a number of circuits that will be in our favour again, such as Zandvoort,” Stella reveals. Norris won the race in the dunes last year. “And we have also done specific work for some circuits, such as Monza or Las Vegas, where we were not necessarily dominant last year. We are certainly looking forward to the second part of the season and we expect to be competitive.”
