Stella calls for McLaren ‘resilience’ in Red Bull title fight

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has called on the Woking-based outfit to be “resilient”, ahead of Formula 1’s return this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. 

The conclusion of the summer break marks the start of a mad 10-race dash to the end of the current campaign, with McLaren having what appears to be the most balanced and competitive package. 

In the last few rounds before the summer break, McLaren took a significant chunk out of Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ championship. 

Red Bull head to Zandvoort just 42 points ahead of McLaren, a gap which could reduce further across the Dutch GP this weekend and in Monza next weekend. 

McLaren’s biggest strength over Red Bull is that both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are performing strongly, whilst Sergio Perez has been struggling in recent months. 

The summer break came at an odd time for McLaren as the team had built a lot of momentum, something it will look to rebuild in Zandvoort. 

Based on how McLaren ended the first half of the season, there is no doubting it has its greatest chance in over a decade to win the constructors’ title.

For that to happen, it has to capitalise on any Red Bull error or sign of weakness, starting in Zandvoort this weekend where Max Verstappen is targeting a fourth consecutive home victory.

Stella is excited for F1’s return and recognises that McLaren has a genuine shot at the title. 

“With two weeks of shutdown over, we now return to racing with renewed energy,” said Stella. “The Dutch fans always create a great atmosphere, which we can’t wait to experience once again. 

“Zandvoort is a short, technical circuit, which poses a very different challenge to Spa or Monza.

“This weekend marks the start of a very busy period, with four races in five weeks. To ensure we maximise the opportunities ahead of us, we must be resilient, focused and work together closely as a team to extract maximum performance.”