McLaren give thanks to Mercedes dominate the Las Vegas Grand Prixsince he prevented his main rival, Ferrariwill reduce its lead in the constructors' championship too much.
A weekend where Lando Norris And Oscar Piastri They struggled excessively to find pace with their MCL38s, McLaren were the fourth fastest team, so there was a big risk that their advantage in the world championship battle would be reduced if Ferrari dominated.
In the end, while Mercedes achieved a one-two finish, Ferrari was unable to move beyond third and fourth place, meaning the Prancing Horse only shaved 12 points off McLaren. This means that there is now a difference of 24 points between the two ahead of the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
McLaren boss Andrea Stellaspoke of an increasingly tight fight: “It's disappointing that we lost 12 points in the world championship. But at the same time, considering how hard we fought this weekend, in a way we have to thank Mercedes for doing so well and securing the win and the double, otherwise Ferrari would have been an even bigger threat in the constructors' championship.
Although McLaren believes Qatar and Abu Dhabi are better suited to its carStella believes the level of the top teams this year means they need to be careful and not take anything for granted about how the final two races of the season go.
“It is true, and I said it myself, that Qatar and Abu Dhabi should be circuits more suited to the way we have designed our car. But, at the same time, I think we have to be careful because the level of teams in “The high zone of F1 in 2024 is unprecedented.”
“I really can't remember a season in F1 where four teams were performing at such a high level, not only because they are in a position to win, but also to dominate, like Mercedes here, with impeccable weekends .That means we can go.” to Qatar thinking the car can perform well, but if we think it's an easy trip, we'll come face to face with reality,” he said.
Andrea Stella, McLaren F1 Team Principal
Photo: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
McLaren tend to struggle more in low-speed corners, meaning this weekend's fast Losail track should, in theory, be a much better terrain for them.
But Stella believes the margins are so tight that any of the top four teams could pull off victory.which could provide a huge turning point in the battle of the manufacturers.
“We go into it knowing that we have to maximize the potential of the car,” he said. “If we do that, from a layout perspective the car will spend a lot of time in the place it was designed for.”
“But I hope Ferrari, and even Red Bull and Mercedes, will get a lot of information this weekend to be in a position to win in Qatar.”
“So it's a very interesting end to the season, more than I would have liked. I always try to make things boring, but it's not the case,” concluded the team principal. who still leads the ranking of manufacturers.
