Andrea Stella annoyed by claim McLaren lost ‘guaranteed’ victory before Monza this year

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren has improved massively throughout the 2024 season and now enjoys having the quickest car at most races.

The British team are fighting Red Bull for the Constructors’ Championship and could be considered favourites for the title despite being eight points behind.

McLaren has two drivers capable of winning races, while their rival has been struggling with an underperforming car for the past few races.

There have been suggestions that the team isn’t taking full advantage of their car and quick drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while team principal Andrea Stella leads the team.

Speaking on the Flat Chat podcast, journalist Alex Kalinauckas spoke of Stella’s frustrations after the Monaco Grand Prix.

Andrea Stella frustrated by claim McLaren should’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix was a brilliant day for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari, and the Monagasque won his home race. But McLaren finished second and fourth with Piastri on the podium, narrowly missing out on the victory.

As it is almost impossible to pass at the streets of Monaco, qualifying in the Principality is one of the most important sessions of the year.

READ MORE: McLaren have spotted worrying ‘problems’ in their data relating to key car component

The narrowest margins set the grid as drivers get as close to the unforgiving walls as possible over a single lap.

Leclerc set the benchmark in qualifying, setting a 1:10.270, closely followed by Piastri. There was a belief that if the McLaren driver put together three perfect sectors, he could’ve snatched pole position, setting up the opportunity to take victory in the Grand Prix.

Stella was frustrated that some journalists wrote that the Australian could’ve taken pole position which the Italian believes couldn’t of happened.

Discussing what the team principal wasn’t happy with about the coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix, Kalinauckas said: “What he was annoyed about was that there was one particular element that I’d listed all these wins that I thought they got away from them.

“One, in particular, was the Monaco Grand Prix that Oscar Piastri, if he’d nailed all his sectors when it really mattered at the end of qualifying, might have beaten Charles Leclerc to pole position and therefore effectively guaranteed a race victory. Stella says this is just… no, absolutely not.”

McLaren could have won more races so far this season in Formula 1

McLaren may not have cost themselves a first victory in Monaco since Lewis Hamilton’s emotional victory in 2008, but other races have got away.

A McLaren driver could have won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone if they had made the correct strategy calls throughout the race, as their car was likely good enough to win.

The Italian Grand Prix was also in McLaren’s hands, but Ferrari beat them on strategy as Piastri and Norris had to settle for second and third places.

Despite the missed opportunities, eight races remain in 2024 and are at circuits McLaren have performed well at recently, such as the Lusail international Circuit in Qatar, where Piastri won last year’s Sprint Race.