Stella praises McLaren for the continuous upgrades after another one-two finish at Spa
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has praised the Woking-based outfit for the continuous upgrades after achieving another one-two finish at Spa-Francorchamps.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri endured disappointment when he got beaten by his team-mate Lando Norris in the standard qualifying session on Sunday.
However, the 24-year-old managed to make up for the defeat on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix. Piastri got a better run than his team mate through the complex of Eau Rouge and Raidillon, allowing him to then make the move on the Kemmel straight.
As drivers switched from intermediates to slick tyres, Piastri enjoyed priority, pitting a lap earlier than Norris which allowed him to build up a margin of over eight seconds.
Although the Briton looked very competitive and comfortable in the closing stages of the 44-lap race on his hard Pirelli tyres, Piastri did not allow to slip the victory through his fingers.
Speaking of McLaren's dominant one-two finish at the Belgian Grand Prix, team boss Andrea Stella noted: "A brilliant 1-2 finish to complete a very strong weekend for the team with consistent performances in every session.
"This confirms that our car is able to perform at a circuit with the characteristics of Spa and also achieves our first 1-2 at the track since 1999.
"Oscar and Lando both drove impressive races in very difficult, changing conditions. Once the track had dried up, Oscar went with the Medium tyre while Lando wanted to deviate, going onto Hard tyres which is fair racing.
"At the time Lando seemed to be in a strong position, but Oscar managed to get the Medium to survive until the end and secured a deserved victory.
Signing off with a word for his team's contribution to the success, Stella stated: "Thank you to everyone who made today’s result possible, to the entire team both at track and the factory for their incredible work to deliver upgrades that worked very well on the MCL39.
"We now turn our attention to Hungary as we look to finish the final double-header before the summer break with another strong result, challenging for victory."
