Rivals distracted by tech sagas “good news” for McLaren

McLaren’s Andrea Stella says it is “good news” for his team that Formula 1 rivals are focused on what he believes are incorrect reasons why the papaya squad is dominating.

McLaren has been at the forefront of F1 for 12 months ever since a large upgrade package at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix reversed its fortunes and turned it from a midfielder into a winning machine.

The Woking squad snatched its first constructors’ title in 26 years last season and has shown no evidence of losing any of its lustre this year, winning five out of six races to establish a healthy lead in the teams’ table.

McLaren’s huge jump in performance has both puzzled and alarmed rivals, with the squad facing suggestions of water-cooling its tyres last year, exploiting aero elasticity of its wings better than anyone else, and having found a magic bullet trick to keep its rear tyre degradation under control so effectively.

McLaren’s cars have been consistently cleared by the FIA’s scrutineers, although the governing body did decide to rein in on how much teams are flexing their wings, with the latest front wing clampdown coming later this month in Spain.

After McLaren crushed the competition in Miami, rivals are hoping that the stricter flexing tests introduced in Barcelona will change the competitive picture, but team principal Stella dismissed the notion that McLaren’s front wings are responsible for its success.

“For us, it’s good news when our rivals get their focus – rather than on themselves – onto some of the aspects that allegedly are present in our car, and that effectively are not even present,” Stella said in Imola on Friday.

“And certainly, even if they were – let’s say front wing deflection, like everyone else – it has nothing to do with the reason why McLaren is very competitive.

“So, I hope that in the future there will be more of these kinds of sagas because it means that our rivals keep focusing on the wrong things, and this is, for us, just good news. It’s just helping our quest.”

In fairness to Max Verstappen, the Dutchman has also urged Red Bull to focus on its own problems rather than looking over the fence at what McLaren is up to.

“It’s a waste of time to think about these things,” the four-time world champion said. “For us, it’s more important we focus on our car. We have a lot of work to do there and understand, of course, what we need to improve on. I think that’s more important.”

The size of McLaren’s gap has certainly made Red Bull more and more pessimistic over its title ambitions, with team advisor Helmut Marko accepting Barcelona won’t suddenly turn the season’s formbook upside down.

“The championship becomes increasingly difficult or unrealistic,” Marko told Sky. “I don’t think Monte Carlo will change much either.

“Maybe in Barcelona, when the stricter wing regulations come in; that could make a difference, but it will be tough. McLaren is simply strong on every track with every tyre.”