Verstappen will be favorite to win the race in Qatar while Hamilton will want to join the Red Bull driver on the podium, but Lando Norris’s McLaren will be hoping to thwart Mercedes’ trump card for once. again.
McLaren director Andrea Stella is confident about her team’s chances at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
The Italians admit Red Bull still leads the Formula 1 grid despite their recent mistake in Singapore. But he has reason to believe that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can achieve another double podium, as they did last time in Japan, at the Lusail International Circuit this weekend.
“It’s still one step too far,” Stella said when asked about Red Bull. “But honestly, it seems like Max has gone too far now. There are still some track changes during the season, but none of these tracks have a Singaporean character.
“While there may be some tracks where we could compete – I think Qatar would be a suitable track for us – I’m afraid the features we like are the same features that Red Bull will be simply exceptional. So we’re going to have to be realistic and know that we’re going to need certain situations to happen to be able to take the final step.”
McLaren’s double championship at Suzuka brought them much closer to Aston Martin in the race for fourth place in the championship. But second place behind Red Bull looks a bit too far away with Mercedes and Ferrari leading by more than 100 points with six rounds remaining.
The gap between these two teams has been increasingly narrowing since the summer break. While the Silver Arrows were once in a dominant position, the Italians’ improved race pace means they are now just 20 points apart. Mercedes knows that Suzuka will be a difficult race for their car. So, looking back at that race in the official Qatar GP preview, team principal Toto Wolff stressed the importance of his team limiting the damage.
“With six races remaining, we are enjoying the fight and will do our best to take the lead, starting this weekend in Qatar,” he declared. “We are returning to Lusail for the first time since 2021. The inaugural Grand Prix was a success for us, so we can’t wait to return. “With its fast corners, this is a demanding track and one that the drivers also enjoy. Since our last visit, there have been changes both on and off the track racing, so a key element of FP1 will be understanding the impact of trace surface reconstruction.
“As this is a sprint weekend we will have little time to get this under control and find a solid setup for the rest of the event. This will be an exciting task and we I’m looking forward to it.
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