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F1 team boss insists ‘Verstappen wouldn’t win in our car’

The F1 team boss has hinted that his car is not ready to challenge Red Bull and that even Verstappen would not win in it

Tyler Rowlinson

Sunday 14 January 2024 11:57

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has claimed that Max Verstappen would not be able to win a race in their car.

Red Bull completely dominated the 2023 season, winning all but one race, but McLaren came very close to them in terms of pace in the second half of the season.

The Woking squad endured a torrid start to the year with an underdeveloped car and points finishes scarce, but following upgrades after the Austrian Grand Prix, the team saw dramatic improvements in speed and results.

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The team finished the season fourth in the constructors’ championship, with Lando Norris recording his best season to date with 206 points and seven podiums, with Oscar Piastri grabbing two podiums, his maiden win in the Sprint race in Qatar and the Rookie of the Year award.

McLaren struggled immensely in the first half of the 2023 season

But the team climbed up to fourth in the constructors' following dramatic upgrades

Andrea Stella has said that Max Verstappen would be unable to win in their car

Stella: 'Impossible' for Verstappen to win in our car

But team boss Stella has hinted that their car is unable to compete with Red Bull for race wins – and claimed that even Verstappen would find it ‘impossible’ to win a race in the McLaren.

”Even an excellent driver like Verstappen can only do what the car allows him to do,” Stella told AmUS.

"With our car, it is impossible, with any driver in the car, to be as fast as Red Bull in the second part of stints (in the race)."

“Where Verstappen makes the difference is that he always performs at an extremely high level, even in the most difficult conditions."

Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Andrea Stella