Despite the large advantage accumulated over the course of the first 14 races of the season, Andrea Stella and McLaren are looking at the second half of the championship with a certain degree of concern. The question that arises is whether Ferrari can become a genuine threat.
McLaren currently sits firmly at the top of the Constructors’ Championship standings with a commanding advantage of 299 points over Ferrari and 323 points ahead of Mercedes. During the first half of the season, only Mercedes and Max Verstappen managed to interrupt the dominance of the team from Woking. However, Andrea Stella has openly admitted that Ferrari could now insert itself into the fight for victories.
In recent races, thanks in part to the introduction of a significant new package of technical upgrades, Charles Leclerc has appeared far more competitive. His performance in Hungary was a clear example, as he succeeded in taking pole position during qualifying. These steps forward from Ferrari have caught the attention of Andrea Stella, who believes that they make the Scuderia a direct rival for the upcoming events on the Formula 1 calendar.
Ferrari’s role in the second part of the season
During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Andrea Stella reflected on the situation and said: “I am not surprised [by Ferrari’s performance in Hungary] because Ferrari has been competitive in the last few races. They were competitive in the dry at Silverstone. They were competitive in Belgium. Somehow, this has not been fully expressed.”
For many observers, the Hungarian Grand Prix looked like Ferrari’s first real chance of securing a race victory this year, but the team was unable to convert it into success. Andrea Stella, however, underlined that this is a sign to watch very carefully: “I think we saw [in qualifying in Hungary] that they were in a position to take pole, and today [in the race] it is not that in the first stint we were holding back. We were trying to go as fast as possible, and Charles Leclerc was managing the lead of the race with a certain amount of control. So I am not surprised.”
The Italian team principal of McLaren then added: “I think Ferrari will be a contender for victory in the rest of the season. In fact, I was a little surprised by the way the final part of the race developed. I am not sure if there was some kind of problem with Charles Leclerc’s car. But certainly, every time we race in the second half of the season, we will have to take into account the fact that, both in qualifying and in the race, we will have to deal with Ferrari.”
Andrea Stella did not exclude other opponents from the battle for victories either. He reminded that Mercedes and Red Bull with Max Verstappen remain dangerous rivals, since they are the only ones who have managed to defeat McLaren in a Grand Prix so far this year.
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