Max Verstappen may have stolen the pole position for Saturday’s U.S. Grand Prix sprint, but McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes the weekend could play out differently, and while Red Bull’s pace is undeniable, the hot Texan track might give Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri a chance to make things interesting in the shorter race.
What Edge Is McLaren Boss Andrea Stella Talking About?
Stella highlighted that while Verstappen and his Red Bull are in top form, the Woking squad is not far behind, as the sprint qualifying saw Norris lead in the early stages on medium tires, only to be edged out by Verstappen’s late lap on softs by a tiny time gap.
On the other hand, Piastri was a little further behind in third, but the close gaps show McLaren can challenge the reigning champions when conditions align.
“Here in Austin we should observe more tyre degradation,” Stella said. “The conditions are very hot. I think we come from races where it was a little bit of a procession because there wasn’t much tyre degradation. I would expect here that the race or the sprint may be more entertaining and there could be more variability based on the behaviour of the tyres. Normally our car is decent when there is tyre degradation.”
Stella believes that the extreme conditions at the Circuit of the Americas could add an extra layer of strategy to the race, and with the track hitting more than 40°C, teams will have to manage tires carefully, and for McLaren, the hope is that their car performs better under these stressful conditions than some rivals.
“It confirms that Red Bull have definitely improved their car. They are competitive now and can fight for victories and pole position on every kind of circuit,” Stella added. “It’s also positive to see that our car here is competitive compared to some other venues in which we struggled a little bit.”
McLaren Drivers Stay Positive Despite Narrow Miss
Norris was not discouraged after narrowly losing the pole and said, “It’s not a surprise for us to be just a bit slower than the Red Bull lately. We struggled the whole year with our qualifying pace, especially when it’s close. That’s why I think I would say not surprised but we have more hopes for the race that we can get back ahead. Normally our race pace is a bit better.”
Piastri admitted to a messy qualifying lap: “A pretty scruffy lap, to be honest, I just didn’t really get it together. In some ways I feel a bit fortunate to be third. But I think the pace in the car is good and it’s not like it’s been a disastrous day at all. Just been a little bit of a messy lap that I can hopefully tidy up for tomorrow.”
Norris set the tone early by topping Friday’s practice sessions and leading the initial qualifying segments, but Verstappen’s late push on soft tires stole the headlines.
As the 100-kilometer sprint race approaches, McLaren will be counting on strong tire management and smart strategy to make a statement and hope that the hot Texan track could offer the British team a rare opportunity to challenge Verstappen in front of the U.S. fans.