Stella resists 'number 1' talk as pressure mounts

Stella resists 'number 1' talk as pressure mounts

      Incluso cuando el ascenso de Max Verstappen aprieta la lucha por el título, McLaren se mantiene firme en que no se declarará un "número 1" entre Oscar Piastri y Lando Norris.

      Laurent Mekies, de Red Bull, dijo después de Austin que las deliberaciones de McLaren sobre el asunto son "exactamente lo que deberían estar haciendo".

      "Para ser completamente honesto, no estoy pensando en ello en absoluto", dijo el francés. "Esto es lo que McLaren debería estar haciendo. No tengo una opinión al respecto: es asunto suyo".

      El fin de semana dominante de Verstappen en Texas redujo la ventaja de Piastri a solo 40 puntos, con Norris también recortando terreno. Sin embargo, el propio Piastri descartó la idea de priorizar a un piloto sobre el otro.

      "No lo creo", dijo el australiano. "Seguimos tan increíblemente igualados, y los dos hemos dicho que queremos la oportunidad de intentar luchar por el campeonato porque lo merecemos.

      "Está demasiado ajustado como para empezar a elegir a uno sobre el otro."

      El director del equipo Andrea Stella estuvo de acuerdo, diciendo que McLaren solo intervendrá si las matemáticas lo exigen.

      "Si llega el momento de tomar una decisión, se basará únicamente en las matemáticas", confirmó Stella. "Al menos recuerdo los años 2007 y 2010, cuando llegas a la última carrera y el que va tercero acaba ganando el campeonato.

      "No cerraremos la puerta a menos que eso ocurra por razones matemáticas."

      La racha reciente de Verstappen —23 puntos recortados a Piastri solo en Austin— ha aumentado la presión sobre McLaren, con el Dr. Helmut Marko insinuando que Red Bull tiene "otra actualización del coche bajo la manga".

      Pero Stella insiste en que el equipo debe mantener la compostura.

      "Antes que nada, yo mismo tengo que mantener la calma", dijo. "Lo que estamos viviendo actualmente —una dura batalla por las victorias y por el Campeonato de Pilotos— es exactamente de lo que trata la Fórmula 1.

      "Fue inusual que lográramos P1 y P2 tan fácilmente en Barcelona, Baréin y algunos otros sitios. Ahora se trata de acostumbrarse a este tipo de presión y vivirla con la máxima intensidad pero con el mínimo estrés."

      Continuó: "No queremos perder la alegría de lo que hacemos. Es un privilegio estar en esta posición, que proviene del buen trabajo del equipo y de ambos pilotos. Lo que haremos de ahora en adelante es simple: seguir haciendo un buen trabajo, y los resultados vendrán."

      A pesar del empuje de Verstappen, Stella rechazó las afirmaciones de que McLaren está perdiendo el control de la lucha. "El hecho de que todavía tengamos cinco carreras y dos sprints también podría significar que podemos ampliar la distancia con respecto a Verstappen", dijo. "Vemos las próximas carreras como una oportunidad para aumentar esa diferencia."

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After the US Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, who took a convincing victory and scored 33 points over the American weekend, commented on its outcome. Although his chances for the title have clearly improved, he made it clear that he is trying not to think about what awaits him in the remaining rounds of the season... Question: Max, congratulations on a convincing victory! Tell us how the race unfolded? Max Verstappen: Yes, the weekend was perfect. I think the most important part of the race was the first stint, when I managed to create a small gap, because after the pit stop everything mostly stabilized and I simply drove to the finish. I think it was very important to manage the tyres correctly, and that wasn't easy, because on some laps there were some odd sensations related to balance and grip. Overall, it was one of those days when you just have to try not to make mistakes, drive as consistently as possible and avoid the bumps. 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I think the most important part of the race was the first stint, when I managed to create a small gap, because after the pit stop everything mostly stabilized and I simply drove to the finish. I think it was very important to manage the tyres correctly, and that wasn't easy, because on some laps there were some odd sensations related to balance and grip. Overall, it was one of those days when you just have to try not to make mistakes, drive as consistently as possible and avoid the bumps. But we won again, and that can be considered an incredible achievement. Question: You mentioned tyre work: after the sprint you said you couldn't confidently judge the intensity of their wear. How did the tyres perform over the 56-lap Grand Prix distance? Max Verstappen: I think today the tyres worked somewhat better, although perhaps still not as well as I would have liked. But nevertheless we won, and that's of course the most important thing. Question: How much harder do you think it would have been if Charles Leclerc hadn't passed Lando Norris at the start? Max Verstappen: I think the battle would have been extremely tight. In my view, whenever the track ahead of Lando was clear, we ran at practically the same pace. Maybe at certain moments he was quicker. Overall, at the finish the gap between our cars would have been minimal. Question: Considering the speed your car is now capable of, and the fact that you beat Oscar Piastri by 30 seconds at this circuit, what do you think about the remaining rounds of the championship? Max Verstappen: I think that to have a chance at the title we must execute all the remaining races perfectly. Yes, we have significantly reduced the deficit, but since the difference in car performance is very small, each weekend you have to try to do everything as correctly as possible — that's exactly what we are trying to do. Question: Over the last four rounds you have taken 64 points back from Oscar, who leads the championship. On which of the remaining five tracks are you most likely to be able to fight for wins? Max Verstappen: I don't know. As I said, the rivalry is getting very fierce, and you just have to pay maximum attention to all the details — that's what the end result depends on. Each weekend you must try to set the car up as best as possible and also avoid mistakes. That's exactly how we're trying to operate. Question: Next up is the Mexican Grand Prix, and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is located at high altitude and the weather is expected to be very hot. How well do you think your car will cope with those conditions? Max Verstappen: We'll find out the whole truth next weekend. I'm not thinking about it yet. You can speculate, but I don't like doing that. Question: After the Zandvoort round you were 104 points behind Oscar, the championship leader. After four races your deficit was reduced to 40 points. If someone had told you during the Zandvoort weekend that after the US Grand Prix you would be back among the title contenders, would you have believed it? Max Verstappen: No. I would have told that person they're an idiot. However, it's simple: we managed to find the right approach to the car. Of course, we introduced a number of technical updates and now better understand the characteristics of the R21, we understand how to improve its efficiency, and we try to achieve that every weekend. Sometimes a weekend goes particularly well, but overall recently we've been doing much better than before. We must make every effort to ensure that this trend continues at each of the remaining rounds of the season. 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Stella resists 'number 1' talk as pressure mounts

Fórmula 1 | Aunque el empuje de Max Verstappen hacia el título estrecha la batalla por el campeonato, McLaren sigue siendo tajante en que no se declarará ningún piloto 'número 1' entre (…)