Max Verstappen, from the Netherlands, races for Red Bull Racing RB20 and competes in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, on May 19, 2024, during the Formula 1 World Championship, Round 7.
McLaren believes that the way Formula 1 weekends are executed will be more important than pure performance in their battle against Red Bull in the 2024 season. The Woking team has made significant progress since last season and has emerged as the closest competitor to Red Bull after introducing upgrades in Miami. Lando Norris, after his first victory in the United States, made a final push against race leader Max Verstappen in Imola, finishing just seven tenths behind.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella argues that the pace difference between the two cars was minimal and was mainly due to Red Bull’s ability to hold position on track. Stella points out that the top three drivers were separated by just a tenth of a second in qualifying, emphasizing that small incremental factors will determine the race order. Stella explains: «The execution of the weekend is always a key factor, but when the margins are so small, yesterday I think the top three cars in qualifying were within 0.1s, so clearly operations and how you handle the tires and execute the race will become the dominant factor.»
Stella also highlights the impact of being in the «dirty air» caused by backmarkers, which negatively affects the car’s pace. He acknowledges that starting from pole position and being ahead in the first corner allows for better tire management and race control. Stella praises Max Verstappen for his tire management performance and believes that this played a significant role in his success.
A pesar de que Ferrari y Red Bull traen actualizaciones a Imola, Stella está alentado por el mejor rendimiento de McLaren con sus piezas revisadas en una configuración de circuito diferente. Sin embargo, señala que el Gran Premio de Mónaco, que es la próxima carrera, es un caso excepcional y puede no reflejar con precisión la batalla en curso entre los equipos. Stella comenta: «Es una confirmación en Miami y en Imola, que son definitivamente dos posiciones diferentes en el espectro de los circuitos que visitamos. Pero el tema con Mónaco es que está en el límite de las características de la pista. El año pasado, si no me equivoco, piensen en lo que sucedió con Alpine [Esteban Ocon logró un podio]. Fueron geniales en Mónaco, y eso es Mónaco – a veces el auto funciona muy bien, sus pilotos están realmente en ritmo y, por lo tanto, suspendería el juicio por ahora, estar preparado lo máximo posible con las operaciones de la carrera y tener algunas actualizaciones específicas para la pista también. Llevaremos algunas piezas nuevas a Mónaco, que son específicas para la configuración máxima de downforce – y espero que nos ayuden a mantenernos en la búsqueda».
