Stella sees Red Bull’s Singapore edge within upgrade range

After the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella put Red Bull’s advantage over McLaren at three-tenths of a second, a margin he said an upgrade could make up. He said McLaren had been where it expected to be at the race; Red Bull’s stronger form, in his view, did not mean his team had fallen fundamentally behind.

Stella framed the season as a “ping-pong” contest: teams can gain ground when they bring upgrades. McLaren, he said, had not enjoyed a long period far ahead; even when it won races, it had taken pole by only a few milliseconds. He also said McLaren was not very competitive in the Zandvoort sprint.

Stella also pointed to track position in Singapore. A car leading in clean air can manage its tyres, amplifying some of its strengths, he said, referring to Verstappen at the front.

The results underline how close the fight has become. Verstappen won in Singapore for the second race in a row; Lando Norris finished fourth and Oscar Piastri fifth, while Red Bull outscored McLaren 34-23. After 17 rounds, McLaren had 339 points to Red Bull’s 332, leaving them seven points apart in the constructors’ fight for third.