On Friday, Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint race in Austin. During the first competitive session of the weekend, he outperformed both McLaren drivers, who are also his rivals in the fight for the world championship. McLaren had high hopes for a dominant weekend in Texas – the MCL39 was expected to perform well at the Circuit of the Americas. However, after Verstappen’s sprint pole, team boss Andrea Stella fears that Red Bull is now in control.
After Lando Norris led the time sheets in SQ1 and SQ2, Verstappen took the fastest time in the final qualifying round. The Dutchman was 0.071 seconds faster than his competitor. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella believes that Red Bull has proven they can compete for the win anywhere. A painful realization, as Verstappen has already made significant gains on his title rivals in recent weeks.
‘Useful Basis’
“It confirms that Red Bull has definitely improved their car,” Stella responded to Sky Sports. “They are now competitive and can fight for victories and pole positions on any circuit. At the same time, it’s positive to see that our car is competitive here, compared to other circuits where we struggled.” During the recent Grands Prix of Singapore and Azerbaijan, the McLaren was noticeably less dominant than earlier in the season.
“It’s a good result,” Stella said about the second and third times of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri respectively. “Nevertheless, it’s not what we were hoping for – we’re here to conquer pole position. At the same time, it does provide a good starting position for the sprint race, and it’s a useful basis to see where we can improve our performance and compete for pole position again during the regular qualification.” Despite the gap to Red Bull, Stella is confident about Saturday’s race. “Normally, our car performs quite well with tire wear, so for various reasons, including this one, we’re looking forward to the sprint race.”
