McLaren team principal Andrea Stella stated his confidence that drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will compete fairly, despite the potentially tricky long run to Turn 1 at the Spanish Grand Prix, which awaits the championship contenders.
For the first time since the opening race in Australia, McLaren secured a front-row lockout. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known for presenting a challenge to the driver starting from second place as they head into the first corner.
Piastri currently holds a narrow three-point advantage over Norris in the Drivers` Championship. Max Verstappen, starting third, is 22 points adrift of Norris.
McLaren`s policy throughout the season has been to allow their drivers to race freely, and Stella confirmed that both drivers are fully committed to the team`s guidelines.
“We have our racing approach, which is a process between Lando and Oscar that has been ongoing for months,” Stella explained. “It`s based on principles, but when it comes to racing against your team-mate, or any other car, you can`t be too prescriptive.”
“We trust our drivers. This is the most important factor. We have great conversations constantly. I`m sure it will be an exciting, fair battle until the end of the championship.”
However, 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg offered a cautionary perspective to Stella: “My two cents are, unfortunately, that`s a recipe for disaster to trust the drivers!”
Spanish GP Qualifying: Top 10 Starting Grid
1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2) Lando Norris, McLaren
3) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
6) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
7) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
8) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
9) Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
10) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
Piastri: No Plan to Coordinate Against Verstappen
Piastri`s last pole position was in Imola, where Verstappen managed to get ahead at the first chicane, putting the Australian on the defensive for the rest of the race. However, Piastri has shown he can be aggressive, notably against Verstappen in Saudi Arabia last month.
“Even if you don`t get a great start, you can still have a chance into Turn 1,” Piastri commented. “Max will have a tow from the grid box. I`m sure he will be in there somewhere as well. It will be an exciting Turn 1.”
Asked if the McLaren pair would coordinate to keep Verstappen behind, Piastri added: “When you try and co-ordinate stuff like that, it never pans out how you want it to. We will probably fend for ourselves and make sure we come out first and second.”
Piastri`s comment likely refers to the 2023 Italian Grand Prix, where his overtake on Norris on the opening lap inadvertently allowed Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc to also pass the British driver. McLaren acknowledged afterward that this sequence of events should not have occurred.
Norris, maintaining his reserved approach seen recently, stated: “The long run pace was good on Friday, so I`m still optimistic. A long run down to Turn 1 and many things can happen.”
Regarding the team`s racing rules, he simply said: “It`s the same as always – don`t crash, have fun.”
Verstappen recalled his strong start in Imola but downplayed the significance of the first corner in Spain. “The race won`t be won at Turn 1,” he remarked.
“It`s going to be tough. My long run wasn`t bad but if you look at the difference today, it will be tough to put up a really good fight. But that doesn`t mean we`re not going to try,” Verstappen continued. “It`s time to shine in Turn 1! Make it three-wide for the pictures, why not? I don`t know. Honestly, looking at pace, it will be tough.”
“Like Oscar said, it`s not all about the start in Turn 1, you need to be good on tyres, it`s a long race, a lot can happen, so I will just try to maximise what I`ve got.”
Two-Stop Race Expected Amid Tyre Uncertainty
Pirelli supplied the three hardest tyre compounds for Barcelona, but the demanding corners cause significant tyre degradation. The hard compound performed poorly in practice, suggesting teams will favor soft and medium tyres for a multi-stop race over the 66 laps.
Charles Leclerc is the only driver in the top 10 with two sets of medium tyres, but starts seventh. The drivers in the top six are expected to use two sets of softs and one set of mediums during the race.
George Russell, who made an impressive start from fourth last year to take the lead, is hoping to replicate that from the same grid position on Sunday.
“From what we have seen so far, it will be a tricky race, similar to Bahrain with a lot of overheating and a two-stop strategy. We saw how dominant McLaren were there,” Russell noted. “But, who knows? I started P4 last year and made a decent start last year. If we can replicate that again, it will be good.”
“There will be different strategies. All three tyres seem relatively similar. If you were to go on the soft tyre, for example, versus the hard tyre, the stop lap is within five laps of each other. It`s not like Imola when the soft could only do eight laps and the medium could do 30 laps. I would be really happy if we could fight for the podium.”
Tyre Strategy Insights
A two-stop race is the minimum expectation, with considerable uncertainty regarding compound performance. The medium, hard, and soft tyres appear relatively close in pace. Charles Leclerc and the two Haas drivers have an extra set of mediums compared to most other top 10 starters. A mix of all three compounds is likely to be used across the field. Managing stint lengths optimally will be crucial, and avoiding leaving too many laps on the final stint due to high degradation will be key.
Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, equaling his best grid position of the season and outpacing team-mate Leclerc for the second time this year. Hamilton is aiming for his first podium finish with Ferrari and his first top-three result on a Sunday since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year.
“I`m looking forward to it,” Hamilton said. “I got a bit of a long run on Friday. It will be close between everybody. It`s amazing how close everybody is. Half a tenth can put you from sixth to 11th.”
“The long run will be challenging for everybody. Most people have softs and one medium. Charles and a couple others have two mediums. Which tyres are the best? Which strategy is the best? The key will be getting a good start. My goal is to try and get a podium. I`ve not had one for God knows how long.”
