McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Ferrari remain the favourites for the Hungarian Grand Prix despite Lando Norris securing pole position at the Hungaroring. Speaking to Sky Sport after qualifying, the Italian praised the effectiveness of McLaren’s latest upgrades but warned that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton may still have more performance available for Sunday’s race.
Lando Norris ended Mercedes’ recent run of pole positions by putting McLaren at the front of the grid, although Andrea Stella admitted that the result exceeded the team’s expectations. With Ferrari showing competitive pace throughout the weekend, the McLaren chief is refusing to assume that qualifying has established the true order ahead of the Grand Prix.
Andrea Stella surprised by Lando Norris pole position
Andrea Stella explained that the updates introduced on the McLaren had delivered the expected performance gain, but the team had not anticipated that they would be enough to secure pole position.
“This is a nice surprise. We brought some updates here and saw that they were working well. We added a few tenths to the car, but we did not think that would be enough to put it on pole position,” Andrea Stella said.
McLaren had arrived at the Hungaroring with an important development package, adding another competitive variable to a weekend in which Ferrari and Mercedes had already appeared closely matched. The result suggests that McLaren’s progress is genuine, although Andrea Stella believes the race could present a different picture.
Ferrari remain Hungarian GP favourites, says Andrea Stella
Despite Lando Norris starting from pole, Andrea Stella continues to regard Ferrari as the benchmark for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. He pointed out that neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton improved on their second qualifying attempt, suggesting that both Ferrari drivers may have left some lap time on the table.
“Honestly, the Ferraris remain the favourites tomorrow. Even in qualifying, neither of them improved on the second attempt, so I think they left some performance on the table,” he explained. “We will take the encouraging signs from the result, but we remain realistic. There is still quite a lot of work ahead of us before we can consistently be in the position we are in today.”
Ferrari’s competitiveness at the Hungaroring had been anticipated because the circuit’s low- and medium-speed corners could play to the strengths of the SF-26. The Scuderia also introduced an upgraded rear-wing specification in Hungary as it looked to maximise performance around the demanding Budapest circuit.
Oscar Piastri’s final qualifying attempt disrupted
Andrea Stella also expressed disappointment over the incident that affected Oscar Piastri during qualifying. The McLaren driver encountered traffic at the first corner and was unable to complete the final attempt that could have improved his position.
“It is a shame for Oscar, who was impeded at the first corner. He had a lot of performance and was beginning to find a good feeling with today’s conditions. It is a shame that we did not get to see the final attempt,” Andrea Stella said.
The setback prevented McLaren from discovering whether Oscar Piastri could have joined Lando Norris at the front of the grid. Nevertheless, pole position provides the team with an important opportunity on Sunday, even as Andrea Stella continues to identify Ferrari as the leading threat.
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