McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the Formula One drivers’ championship remains within the team’s control, despite a dominant display from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.
McLaren have already secured the constructors’ title for the second consecutive season, while Australian driver Oscar Piastri currently leads the drivers’ standings by 14 points over British teammate Lando Norris. The Woking-based outfit last celebrated a drivers’ crown with Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and have not achieved a championship double since 1998.
Verstappen, who is targeting a fifth successive world title, trails the championship leader by 40 points. However, the Dutchman has significantly cut the gap from 104 points at the end of August, having taken three victories in the last four races. With five rounds still to come, the title race remains open.
Reflecting on Sunday’s race in Austin, Stella found positives despite Verstappen’s win.
“I think in terms of the trend, today is a relatively reassuring race,” said Stella. “Without having to fight with Charles [Leclerc], which was certainly an entertaining fight in itself, I think Lando had the pace to win.
“Performance-wise, I think we are reassured that the pace was sufficient to fight for the victory.”
Norris had started the Grand Prix from the front row, alongside Verstappen on pole, but was overtaken at the start by Ferrari’s Leclerc, who was on soft tyres. The Briton spent the early part of the race battling to reclaim his position, eventually doing so twice before Verstappen pulled ahead.
Verstappen had also claimed victory in the Saturday sprint race, which began from pole position. In contrast, the sprint ended in disappointment for McLaren, with Piastri and Norris colliding and both failing to finish the 100km event. The crash not only affected sprint points but also limited the team’s ability to gather data ahead of the main race.
Stella reiterated that Verstappen remains a contender for the title, especially when Red Bull deliver a competitive package.
“For me, there’s no mystery. We know that when Max has the material to win, he becomes a very serious candidate to win,” he said.
“So, it doesn’t change our understanding of the situation, it doesn’t change what we do. We just have to keep maximising the performance and keep executing good weekends.
“The outcome of this season and the drivers’ championship is in our hands, it is not in someone else’s hands. That is the mindset we want to have and that is the mindset we will have.”
McLaren have not taken a race win since Piastri’s victory at the Dutch Grand Prix on 31 August, marking four consecutive races without a trip to the top step of the podium.
Still, Stella remains optimistic heading into the final stretch of the season.
“The fact that there are five races and two sprints means that we can also increase the gap to Max. I think we have good tracks coming for our car and we have more that we could have exploited out of our car.”
Stella confirmed that the team will not bring any further upgrades or new parts for the remainder of the season, as focus shifts to the development of the 2026 car.
