{"id":273609,"date":"2025-04-08T12:37:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T12:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/did-mclaren-underestimate-rivals-red-bull-and-max-verstappen-andrea-stella-comes-clean\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:56","slug":"did-mclaren-underestimate-rivals-red-bull-and-max-verstappen-andrea-stella-comes-clean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/did-mclaren-underestimate-rivals-red-bull-and-max-verstappen-andrea-stella-comes-clean\/","title":{"rendered":"Did McLaren underestimate rivals Red Bull and Max Verstappen? Andrea Stella comes clean"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4865061\" data-slug-id=\"2463699\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Andrea Stella addressed the latest McLaren situation and revealed that the team did not undermine Red Bull and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/max-verstappen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Max Verstappen<\/a> in Japan. Speaking to the media, he stated that the Papayas did not underestimate Verstappen and his team, but they knew Red Bull&#8217;s strength around this circuit.<\/p>\n<p>Verstappen maintained his strong presence at Suzuka after the four-time world champion claimed the Japanese GP. The Dutchman won the race ahead of the McLaren duo of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/lando-norris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Lando Norris<\/a> and Oscar Piastri.<\/p>\n<p>Following Verstappen&#8217;s win, questions were raised as to whether McLaren undermined Red Bull and Verstappen, given that their MCL39 has been the best car so far. Addressing the question, Stella shared that Red Bull executed a perfect weekend to claim the win, and as for McLaren, they gave their best.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI think to win races like this you need perfect execution,\u201d Stella said, as per MotorsportWeek. &#8220;I think in hindsight the gap we had to Red Bull yesterday in qualifying [0.044 seconds separated the top three] and also this gap was the same that we measured in practice sessions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI invite everyone in this room to look at the practice session always remembering that 10 kilogrammes of fuel in this circuit are three tenths and a half and engine modes can be several tenths of a second.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSo for us it was very clear that Verstappen was close we thought we had one tenth and a half advantage which is I think what was going on until perhaps Q2, what was going on until the final set in Q3,&#8221; the McLaren boss further added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Notably, Verstappen claimed the pole by being 0.012 seconds and 0.044 seconds faster than Norris and Piastri on Saturday. In the main race on Sunday, the Dutchman took the checkered flag one second and two seconds ahead of the McLaren duo.<\/p>\n<p>This goes to show that Max Verstappen&#8217;s Red Bull RB21 was the only car that matched the McLarens in Japan (Charles Leclerc, the driver in P4, finished the race 14 seconds after Piastri and was three-tenths slower than Verstappen in qualifying).<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>How did Max Verstappen&#8217;s Japanese GP win shake up F1 grid?<\/h2>\n<p>Max Verstappen&#8217;s victory at the Japanese GP was a huge deal for Red Bull and a major blow for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. With the victory, the Dutchman took four back-to-back wins at this circuit and slashed his gap in the Drivers&#8217; Championship.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sk-app-thumbnail\" alt=\"Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on April 06, 2025 in Suzuka, Japan - Source: Getty\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on April 06, 2025 in Suzuka, Japan - Source: Getty\" src-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/ce6a9-17441139260018-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201280%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on April 06, 2025 in Suzuka, Japan &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Norris leads the championship leaderboard with 62 points, compared to Verstappen&#8217;s 61. Piastri is in P3 with 49 points. This went on to prove that Norris needs to extract the finest performances week in and week out to take the 2025 F1 title.<\/p>\n<p>The reason? He is not only competing against Max Verstappen but also his teammate Piastri, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/f1\/news-i-i-want-become-world-champion-oscar-piastri-makes-intentions-clear\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">who wants a share of the pie as well<\/a>. As for Ferrari, their hopes of seeing a Prancing Horse driver winning the championship took another setback, at least for now.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/3390189-1721652121-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Sabyasachi Biswas&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nSabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master&#8217;s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.<\/p>\n<p>As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen\u2019s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen&#8217;s dominant journey on the track. <\/p>\n<p>Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi &amp; Ubbu &#8211; his adorable beagles.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/sabyasachi-biswas-f9319\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Hitesh Nigam<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script> \nvar fbPixelFired = false;\nvar pixelID = \"952063904834769\";\ndocument.addEventListener(\"scroll\", loadFBPixel, { once: true, passive: true });\ndocument.addEventListener(\"mousemove\", loadFBPixel, { once: true, passive: true });\nfunction loadFBPixel() {\nif(fbPixelFired) {\nreturn;\n}\nfbPixelFired = true;\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? \nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, \ndocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', pixelID); \nfbq('track', \"PageView\");\nfbq('track', 'ViewContent');\ndocument.removeEventListener(\"scroll\", loadFBPixel);\ndocument.removeEventListener(\"mousemove\", loadFBPixel);\n}\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/f1\/news-did-mclaren-underestimate-rivals-red-bull-max-verstappen-andrea-stella-comes-clean\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Andrea Stella addressed the latest McLaren situation and revealed that the team did not undermine Red Bull and Max Verstappen in Japan. 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