McLaren got "suprised by how strong" Red Bull was at Imola
Although McLaren had been expected to dominate proceedings at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, its team boss Andrea Stella conceded that it was surprising to see Red Bull display superior race pace on Sunday.
Starting from pole position, Oscar Piastri made a good start last Sunday, but he was challenged by Max Verstappen and George Russell into the first corner. The Dutchman endured a slow getaway at the start, but made an eye-catching move into Turn 1, braking late and braving it around the outside of Piastri to take the lead on the first lap.
McLaren had been expected to have dominant race pace and tyre management on the hot surface of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. However, Verstappen managed his medium tyres during his opening stint, and he received some good fortunes with VSC which enabled him to bank a cheap pit stop.
When the Safety Car came out, he lost his enormous advantage, but he did not lose his focus and drove into the distance for his second Grand Prix win of the year.
McLaren's British driver Lando Norris started from fourth on the grid, but managed to fight past Russell to run third in the early stages. The Briton stayed out long, but pitted one lap before the virtual safety car.
Although the second safety car intervention saw Norris close in on race leader Verstappen, but he found himself behind his team-mate, and by the time he managed to overtake Piastri, Verstappen had disappeared into the distance.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella conceded that it was surprising to see Red Bull display superior race pace on Sunday.
“We leave Imola with a good haul of points as a team. Coming into the weekend, we knew the track layout and the ambient conditions would make this a much closer race, but we were a little surprised by how strong the Red Bull was today – congratulations to Max.
“The race was decided on the first lap with Max’s overtake on Oscar. From there, we tried to unlock various scenarios to re-take the lead. Lando was able to maximise the stint on the Medium and drove a very good race."
"With Oscar, we deviated to a two-stop strategy," Stella continued. "Had the Hard tyres behaved just a little bit better, this would have been a strong strategy, but that’s something we have to judge with hindsight. Going for victory always involves some risk, and sometimes when you take a risk, there’s a downside.
"He made some great overtakes to respond to the various factors in the race. The drivers battled cleanly and fairly, ultimately culminating in a double podium for the team.
“The team have worked hard this weekend, produced two reliable cars and put us on Pole position. Overall, it was a positive weekend for McLaren, and we look forward to the next race in Monaco," the Italian concluded.
