Stella says McLaren’s US GP pace matched Ferrari and Red Bull despite missing podium

McLaren’s technical director Andrea Stella told Formula1.com that the team’s performance at the United States Grand Prix demonstrated a pace level comparable to the sport’s front‑runners, Ferrari and Red Bull, despite the British outfit finishing just outside the podium places. Stella highlighted that the car’s straight‑line speed and cornering grip in Austin were on par with the championship leaders, underscoring the progress made since the start of the 2024 season.

Stella pointed to several key data points from the weekend. The MCL60 recorded sector times that were within a tenth of a second of the Ferraris and Red Bulls, and the team’s tyre degradation strategy allowed them to run longer stints without a significant loss of pace. He also noted that the aerodynamic updates introduced at the start of the season had finally begun to translate into consistent lap times, a development that the team hopes to build on for the remaining races.

While the team’s drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were unable to convert the strong pace into a podium finish – finishing fourth and fifth respectively – Stella remained optimistic. He said the race highlighted the importance of race‑craft and strategic calls, areas where McLaren still has room to improve. "We showed we can run with the leaders in qualifying and race conditions, but we need to fine‑tune our pit‑stop strategy and tyre management to turn that speed into podiums," he explained.

For Indian fans, the race was broadcast live on FanCode with a start time of 22:30 IST. The next race on the calendar is the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos on 12 November, also streamed on FanCode. McLaren’s performance in Austin suggests they could be a dark horse in the remaining rounds, and Indian viewers will be keen to see if the team can convert the demonstrated speed into points that could influence the Constructors’ Championship battle.

Source: Formula1.com