Yesterday at 06:30
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has addressed the
responsibility his team has to ensure it does not give one of its
drivers an advantage in the F1 title fight. The Woking-based squad
has enjoyed a highly successful campaign to date, winning 11 out of
the 14 races staged. The triumphs have been shared between Oscar
Piastri and Lando Norris, with the former holding a narrow
nine-point lead at the top of the drivers' championship. While the
intensity between the pair will likely grow in the races to come,
Stella suggested the team will face increased pressure to ensure
its operations don't let one of its drivers down. "First of all, we
need to make sure that we as a team only play a positive part, and
the positive part is to give Lando and Oscar a fast car, a car that
in all conditions can fight for the win," Stella told media
including RacingNews365 . "We don't play a role instead in which
we have reliability factors, operational problems, pit stops that
may bias the allocation of points one way or the other. "This is
the responsibility of the team." There has been little to separate
Piastri and Norris during the first 14 races, with Piastri winning
six races to Norris' two. Qualifying gaps between the pair have
also been enormously close. As both competitors chase their first
F1 titles, Stella highlighted consistency will be a critical
element for his drivers to focus on. "When it comes to Lando and
Oscar, I think this is very much to do with the execution because
they are very close," he said. "It's a matter of details in the
execution from all points of view: race craft, driving, penalties,
and then consistency. "Consistency - just being good at every
single event - is something that Lando and Oscar have been very
good at. "But this is going to be more and more important,
especially as the finish line gets closer and closer."
