Stella: Red Bull has probably done the best recent work with upgrades

Heading into the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren leads Red Bull by 11 points in the fight for third in the constructors’ championship. Team principal Andrea Stella says he is not surprised Red Bull can now win: he believes the team has probably done the best recent work with upgrades and says Max Verstappen delivers when he has the machinery to perform.

Red Bull claimed its first win of the season in Malaysia after Verstappen narrowly missed out on victory in Azerbaijan. The team has been contesting pole positions and wins in recent races since introducing its Baku upgrades. Stella described this season’s development pace as probably faster than ever; he said McLaren also had a period when it could win before rivals’ upgrades changed the balance.

McLaren has further upgrades planned for the closing races, building on the Baku package and due for Austin and subsequent rounds, Stella said. He was keen to see how competitive the team could be from the next race and hoped it could fight for podiums then. Wins might also be possible once the full upgrade package is introduced, he added.