P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren boss Andrea Stella has revealed that it was a “little surprising” how competitive Red Bull proved to be in race trim in F1’s Emilia-Romagna GP.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella was surprised by Red Bull’s competitiveness at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen dominated after an early overtake on Oscar Piastri.
Even with a late Safety Car period, Verstappen managed to maintain a solid lead over the McLaren drivers, ultimately crossing the line with a comfortable margin of six seconds.
Stella acknowledged Red Bull’s superior race pace as unexpected, despite McLaren’s strong performance in previous races like Miami.
The difference in performance was attributed to Red Bull’s updates and the high-speed cornering nature of the Imola circuit, which favored their car over McLaren’s.
Despite McLaren’s initial expectations of replicating their dominant Miami performance, Red Bull’s improved car and track conditions played a significant role in the outcome at Imola.
