McLaren can still 'dominate races' in specific conditions – Stella

McLaren and Norris change the narrative in the Championship

Prior to Mexico, Max Verstappen was gaining rapidly on the McLaren duo. Courtesy of a revitalised RB21, the reigning Champion was back to winning races.

Crucially, both Norris and Piastri suffered a series of poor results (most notably, Baku) that allowed him to close the deficit. As a result, all eyes were on the Dutchman ahead of the last round.

With fresh upgrades, Red Bull were expected to build upon their form in recent months. However, what instead unfolded was a dominant display from Norris and McLaren – who were essentially uncontested.

Notably, on the other side of the garage, Oscar Piastri was nowhere near his teammate. This weekend’s Brazilian GP will be the first indication of whether the Australian’s dip in form is temporary or a sign of things to come.

According to Andrea Stella, Piastri struggled to adapt his driving style in Mexico. The McLaren team principal expects the #81 car to reach its former heights in the upcoming rounds.

Speaking more broadly, Stella outlined his takeaways from Norris’ win:

“The confidence in terms of the championship is increased. It’s increased because we have proven we have a car that can win races, and in some conditions can dominate races.

“This is the most important factor, to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the Drivers’ Championship.

“I don’t think it’s about mathematics, I think it’s about competitiveness – and it was important to confirm this competitiveness…

“Even when it comes to Oscar, even if he lost some points to Verstappen, I think Oscar has got a lot of learning from this weekend.

“That’s sort of an investment that you make to make sure that you are competitive in every condition in the final part of the season.”

Red Bull cannot be discounted in Brazil

Andrea Stella has every right to feel vindicated after McLaren’s display in Mexico City. After Verstappen took victory in COTA, the Italian engineer insisted there was no reason to panic about the Championship.

Stella demonstrated a confidence that, despite Red Bull’s progress, the MCL39 is still fast enough to win races.

At this stage of the season, the priority for McLaren will be to optimise the performance of their package. This could be enough for Piastri and Norris to keep Verstappen at bay – excluding any disasters in the McLaren garage.

Then again, Red Bull should not be discounted from returning to winning ways. The characteristics of Brazil’s Interlagos circuit could suit the RB21, an advantage that could be particularly important in a Sprint weekend.

Wet conditions could also throw a spanner in the works – especially since one DNF for either McLaren would be enough for Verstappen to make potentially season-defining gains.