McLaren boss sees title chances growing despite Max’s Mexico comeback
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes his team’s championship hopes are actually stronger now, even though Max Verstappen cut Lando Norris‘s lead to just 36 points after the Mexico Grand Prix.
“The confidence in terms of the championship is increased because we have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions can dominate races,” Stella said.
The McLaren chief points to recent performances as proof their car has what it takes to fight for the title in the season’s final stretch.
He’s not worried about the points math right now.
“This is the most important factor to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the Drivers’ Championship. I don’t think it’s about mathematics, I think it’s about competitiveness and it was important to confirm this competitiveness.”
Norris reclaimed the championship lead with his victory in Mexico, giving the British driver crucial momentum.
His teammate Oscar Piastri didn’t fare as well, losing ground to Verstappen. But Stella sees this as a learning opportunity for the young Australian.
“Even if he lost some points to Verstappen, I think Oscar has got a lot of learning from this weekend,” he explained. “That’s sort of an investment that you make to make sure that you are competitive in every condition in the final part of the season.”
With just a handful of races remaining, the McLaren garage is feeling good about their chances.
“Overall we, definitely team and drivers, come out of this weekend encouraged and optimistic for the final part of the season.”
The battle for the championship looks set to go down to the wire, with both McLaren and Red Bull showing strong pace at different circuits.
Can Norris hold off the charging Verstappen? The next few races will be crucial in determining who lifts the trophy when the season ends.
