Andrea Stella sees little reason for concern following the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen dominantly secured his second victory of the season. According to the McLaren team principal, the gap with Red Bull in Imola is entirely logical and a matter of comparing apples with oranges.
Oscar Piastri had secured pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, but after a brilliant overtaking move by Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion faded from view. For the first time this season, Red Bull seemed to have the upper hand over McLaren, achieving a dominant victory.
However, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is not worried. The Italian believes that the Woking-based team did not drop the ball in Imola, as he made clear in Monaco. “I disagree with this explanation. It’s like comparing apples with oranges. When I was in school, the teacher always said, ‘Don’t compare apples with oranges. Be specific, analytical, and accurate in how you use information,'” he begins during the technical media session in the pit lane. “Imola belongs to the same category of circuits as Saudi Arabia and Japan: fast corners and narrow layouts, where Red Bull consistently secured pole position. And in the race in Saudi Arabia, if Max hadn’t received that penalty, he would have won the race.”
Consistent Picture
Stella compared the pace of McLaren and Red Bull in Japan and Saudi Arabia, concluding that this picture is ‘very consistent’ with the power dynamics as they unfolded in Imola. “But if we compare the race in Imola with the race in Miami, we are comparing apples with pears. My school teacher would grab my ear and say: ‘Don’t compare apples and pears’.”
Stella emphasizes that the character of the Miami International Autodrome suits McLaren better. “Miami is a circuit dominated by low speeds. With all the aerodynamic investments we have made, our car has greatly improved in these types of corners. If we want to compare Miami, let’s look back at what happened in China and Bahrain: in China, the two McLarens disappeared from view, in Bahrain Lando Norris dominated and Lando made up several positions from P6.”
Peach
The Grand Prix of Monaco will be held next Sunday. The track is so narrow that the DRS zone has hardly any effect, making it a circuit in itself. When asked whether Monaco is more like an apple or a pear, Stella responds with another piece of fruit: “This is a peach. It’s a complete one-off. I wouldn’t be surprised if, for example, Ferrari has the best car, so we’ll see. I’m very curious whether Baku will turn out to be a pear or a peach. My suspicion is that it will be a peach, so we can continue this trend.”
