McLaren are plotting their route back to the top of Formula 1. They haven’t won the championship since Lewis Hamilton’s triumph in 2008, but they appear closer than ever to ending that drought.
Since last month’s Chinese Grand Prix, they’ve been the second-fastest team on the grid. Lando Norris has finished on the podium at each of the last three races, scoring his first-ever victory in Miami.
Norris needed a bit of luck to beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull as a perfectly-timed safety car gave him a free pit stop. But he showed after the restart that he just had more pace than the world champion.
Last time out at Imola, McLaren qualified second and third behind Verstappen, although Oscar Piastri would suffer a three-place penalty for impeding. Still, it would have been encouraging for Andrea Stella to see both drivers within a tenth of the pole-sitter.
In the race itself, Verstappen progressively built a comfortable lead and looked on course for a trouble-free victory. That was until the closing stages, when his hard tyres gave up on him and Norris began to whittle his lead down.
In the end, the 26-year-old held on and took the chequered flag. But with just one more lap, his British rival could have been looking at a second win in three events.
Andrea Stella wowed by Max Verstappen launches this season
Verstappen has maintained a 100% pole position record in qualifying this season. In fact, he’s matched Ayrton Senna’s record of eight consecutive poles, and has now amassed 39 in total.
The points are earned on a Sunday, but the problem for McLaren and co. is that Verstappen has been almost robotically consistent with his race starts. He’s yet to surrender the lead into turn one in any Grand Prix this season.
In fact, the last time he was beaten off the line from pole was the British Grand Prix last summer. Norris swept ahead into the first corner, and Verstappen would regain the lead within a few laps anyway.
Speaking to RacingNews365, Stella marvelled at the Dutchman’s faultless record when the lights go out. He says it’s a testament to the work he’s done behind the scenes.
“I think if we look at Verstappen’s consistent launches, it’s just amazing,” he said. “It’s true he scores pole position, but you rarely see him losing the first position at the first corner.
“Gaining this consistency in launches, is again, the result of good work. I say often how much I admire the fact that they can win so consistently, because there’s so many ways in which things can go wrong.”
McLaren stun their fans with announcement ahead of Monaco Grand Prix
This weekend, McLaren are going in search of their first Monaco victory since Hamilton’s memorable 2008 triumph. They know that scoring pole position is everything on the track that sees the fewest overtakes of the year.
Verstappen, for his part, will be trying to beat Senna with a ninth straight pole. It’s McLaren’s job to defend the record of their Brazilian legend.
And in their efforts to do that, they’ll be running a livery inspired by the three-time world champion. The team have announced that they will swap their traditional papaya for a green, yellow and blue design.
It’s certainly wowed the McLaren supporters, with one suggesting that it might even be the best tribute livery ever. Karun Chandhok is also a fan, calling it an ‘awesome’ effort.
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