McLaren’s F1 dominance shouldn’t be “comfortable”

McLaren crew principal Andrea Stella says his crew will not take its foot off the throttle after one other dominant 1-2 on the Belgian Grand Prix. 

Oscar Piastri received his sixth grand prix of the season forward of Lando Norris after passing his team-mate at the beginning of a blended climate race. The Australian finally led Norris house for the crew’s third consecutive 1-2 victory. 

McLaren launched its newest upgrades in Spa, a brand new low-downforce rear wing meeting that made its 2025 automobile extra environment friendly and also needs to be used at different appropriate circuits like Monza, Baku and Las Vegas. 

McLaren’s dominance has shifted focus from any exterior problem by the likes of Max Verstappen, who left Belgium 81 factors in arrears, to the papaya squad’s intra-team battle between Piastri and Norris choosing up steam as they assault the second half of the season. 

With simply 16 factors between them, McLaren is adamant it can let the title battle play out naturally between chief Piastri and challenger Norris. 

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photograph by: Erik Junius

“If I would like it to be snug, then I am not doing the suitable job,” Stella stated. “I am not likely taken with being snug, I am taken with placing McLaren in the absolute best place to succeed, which implies competing for the constructors’ world championship and, if potential, ensuring that the drivers’ world championship is a matter between the 2 McLaren drivers. 

“Along with that, even when this does not make my life or Zak [Brown, CEO]’s life any easier, we’re additionally racing in a sure approach, which is open, which can give our drivers the chance to specific their abilities, their aspirations, their high quality, their fixed improvement. 

“That is what we’re right here for, and we’re very privileged to be on this place. Not solely with the crew now we have, however with Oscar and Lando, who’re two nice drivers, however above all, two nice people.” 

McLaren’s newest 1-2 lockout got here at a traditionally tough Spa-Francorchamps circuit as effectively, which Stella felt was “notably vital” because it confirmed simply how a lot McLaren has improved its weaknesses over the previous two years, with aerodynamic effectivity one key subject that has been utterly rotated. 

Stella echoed Norris’ current feedback that race weekend execution would be the deciding issue within the championship, with Norris and Piastri evenly buying and selling blows however Norris having made extra errors this 12 months than his Australian team-mate. 

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“I believe the execution is what’s going to make the primary distinction,” he agreed. “We are going to attempt to guarantee that from a reliability viewpoint, from a crew operation viewpoint, we’re pretty much as good as potential, such that it is going to be the drivers deciding their very own end result by way of competing for the drivers’ world championship.”