Tight competition a mixed blessing as McLaren chases F1 constructors' crown

Formula 1 is enjoying an unprecedentedly close season in which any one of four teams can dominate on any given weekend – a mixed blessing, according to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.

Mercedes won the Las Vegas Grand Prix through George Russell, who controlled the race from pole position while teammate Lewis Hamilton climbed through from 10th on the grid to finish second. That result means four F1 constructors have scored a one-two finish in the same season for the first time in the sport’s history, and Stella says that helped McLaren in Las Vegas, but could hurt it in the final two rounds.

More Formula 1

Norris believes F1 is not too far from ‘a really exciting era’

McLaren drivers still sure their MCL40 is a winner

Herta drawing strength from paddock welcome as he grapples with a new racing paradigm in F2

“It's disappointing that we lost 12 points in the championship,” Stella said. “But at the same time, considering how much we struggled this weekend, we really have to thank Mercedes for having performed so strongly and secured the P1-P2 position. Otherwise Ferrari would have been an even bigger threat in the constructors’ championship.

“It's true – and I've said myself – that Qatar and Abu Dhabi should be territory that is more suitable for the way we have designed our car. But at the same time, I think we need to be careful. The level of the top teams in Formula 1 in 2024, in my view, is unprecedented.

“I really can't remember a season in Formula 1 where four teams were operating at such a high level. Not only because they are in condition to win, but they are in condition to dominate like Mercedes did [in Las Vegas] with faultless weekends. This means for me, this means for the team, that yes, we go to Qatar thinking that the car may perform well, but if we think that this is an easy ride, we will be hit by the reality.

“So we go there knowing that we need to maximize the potential of the car. If we do that, then certainly from a track layout point of view, the car should spend quite a lot of time where it's been designed to perform.

“But to be honest, I can't not recognize that I would expect Ferrari, certainly even Red Bull, Mercedes – I think they will have got quite a lot of information from this weekend as well – to be in condition to win in Qatar. So it's a very interesting, much more than I would have liked, final part of the season. I always try to get things to be boring, but that's not the case!”

Although Max Verstappen secured the drivers’ championship in Las Vegas, Stella also says that won’t dampen the positivity within McLaren after the team developed a car capable of competing for both titles.

“I don't think there's a disappointment," he said. "I've said how proud we are that ultimately Lando [Norris] was the only driver that could give Max some headache and that since (the time) when McLaren gave Lando and Oscar [Piastri] material that can win races, Lando kept the same trajectory as Max.

“So I think there's many more reasons to be proud and to be happy and to be encouraged for the future than disappointment. We go into the future with optimism and with a positive feeling.”

McLaren can win the constructors’ championship at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix if it outscores Ferrari by 21 points and does not lose more than 14 points to Red Bull.