What makes the MCL39 such a formidable car? Max Verstappen offered a theory in Hungary. According to the driver, the British team is unbeatable this year when it comes to medium-speed corners. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella responds to the analysis of the four-time world champion.
With a lead of 299 World Championship points over second-place Ferrari, it would take a significant upset for McLaren not to take home the constructors’ title for the second year in a row. The British team not only secured first and second place at every Grand Prix since the Austrian GP, but they also consistently crossed the finish line twenty seconds ahead of the rest of the grid. What is the secret behind the success of the MCL39? Max Verstappen has an idea.
According to the four-time world champion, the McLaren car is not just ‘better on the tires’. “At the same time, I find their performance at medium speed incredible compared to, I would say, everyone else on the grid,” Verstappen explains in Hungary. “The rotation they have on the front axle, without losing the rear, is also something quite incredible to see. That’s something we need to try to achieve.”
Stella Agrees with Verstappen
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is then asked about the analysis of the Red Bull driver. “You can just look at the GPS data,” the Italian begins. “If you compare the speed with some other teams, the data shows that McLaren can generate the highest speed in the middle of medium-speed corners. So I think Max’s assessment is correct.”
However, the team boss does not think that the MCL39 is therefore unbeatable and that McLaren can now rest on their laurels. “We still have our weak points. If you take a very high-speed corner, like Copse or Pouhon, we are not the fastest car. We are probably not the fastest car at very low speeds either. But the majority of the corners in a championship happen to be medium-speed corners, and certainly in that range, our car is, according to the data, the best.”
