Favorable conditions in Qatar do not allow McLaren to underestimate its rivals: despite securing pole position in the sprint qualifying, Mercedes and Ferrari are not far behind. Andrea Stella knows this and wastes no time in pointing it out.
The checkered flag in Losail’s sprint qualifying handed pole position for Saturday’s mini-race to Lando Norris. The British driver, born in 1999, set the fastest lap of the session, only slightly quicker than George Russell’s attempt, who will start alongside him. On the second row, the other papaya, driven by Oscar Piastri, will line up against the two Ferraris surrounding it at the start.
As expected, McLaren is the car to beat: “It’s great to be back at the front after a challenging Las Vegas,” admitted Andrea Stella, team principal of the Woking team. “The car is performing well, and the laps by Lando and Oscar confirmed that our performance here is competitive.” – the former Ferrari team member pointed out.
Andrea Stella remains vigilant: watch out for Mercedes and Ferrari
Smiles and calm expressions aside, there’s no room for complacency in the McLaren garage. Stella reminded his team: “We must acknowledge that Mercedes is less than a tenth behind us, and Ferrari will start just behind us. Once again, we have a very tight grid. We need to stay focused and work hard to maximize our potential in the Sprint and score as many points as possible,” explained the Italian engineer.
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