Andrea Stella sets the Italian test as the real exam after the victories in Hungary and Zandvoort. Top speed and aerodynamic efficiency will be key to measuring the Woking team's real progress.
McLaren's resurgence in the last few rounds of the calendar has set off alarms at the top of Formula 1. Two consecutive victories in Hungary and the Netherlands have brought hope back to Woking and have reduced the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 83 points. However, within the team, caution remains the main currency. Andrea Stella, team principal, has pointed to Monza as the venue where it will really be possible to evaluate if the comeback is sustainable.
The start of the season was an ordeal for McLaren, the problems in understanding the Mercedes power unit in Australia and the setbacks that even prevented them from starting in China seem to be behind them, but Stella, far from being carried away by optimism, insists on the need to keep their feet on the ground: "Beyond any way of saying it, the real focus we have is simply one race at a time, there's not much more you can influence than maximizing what's available next" declared the Italian.
The reason for this caution has a name: Monza. The historic Italian circuit, with its long straights and chicanes, poses a radically different challenge to the two tracks where McLaren has shone. The Hungaroring and Zandvoort, with their medium speed corners and high downforce, suited the MCL40's characteristics like a glove. Italy, on the other hand, will demand top speed, efficiency and impeccable energy management, an area that has been a recurring weak point for the team.
"If we think about the demands of Zandvoort and Hungary, and then think about the demands of Monza, we are in a completely different regime" explained Stella, underlining the magnitude of the change. Straight line speed and the ability to maintain pace in low downforce zones have not been the Woking car's greatest virtues. Lando Norris himself has acknowledged that performance in slow corners is "not nearly good enough," a weakness that could be exposed at the Temple of Speed.
Energy management will be another determining factor. After the initial problems with the Mercedes power unit, McLaren has worked against the clock to improve its understanding of the engine. The new simulation tools implemented for the Spa Grand Prix allowed some progress, but Monza will be the definitive test. The team is aware of its limitations, aerodynamic drag is not a strong point of the MCL40 and the heavy braking, typical of Monza, also do not play in their favor.
Stella detailed the technical challenges they will face in Italy: "We know that aerodynamic drag is not necessarily a strong point of our car and for example there is also a lot of braking, which is also not necessarily a strong point of our car, there are many things we need to confirm as we head to the next race" he explained.
If McLaren manages to be competitive at Monza, Stella considers that optimism will be justified for the rest of the season: "If we can confirm our improvements at Monza, then I would say that the answer to your question is yes, then we can look with some optimism to the rest of the season, we need to go to Monza and see that our car can show good performance on the long straights" he asserted.
The immediate goal is to score points and continue closing the gap. The comeback is possible, but Monza will deliver the verdict. Stella prefers not to make predictions and to maintain humility: "So far, I think we can confirm that when we are on high downforce circuits, with this type of layout, then we can fight for wins" he stated.
