P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has one eye on the pecking order for next year as the gaps this past season appeared very close at times.
Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren, believes that Formula 1 is in an “interesting” position regarding its pecking order. While Red Bull dominated the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships this year, there were close battles for other positions behind them. The qualifying gaps were often very small, with the field being separated by fine margins over one lap. Stella noted that the development of cars throughout the season helped close the gaps in race pace by the end of the year. He also mentioned that not only the top four or five teams were close in performance, but now, pretty much everyone is. Stella finds this situation very intriguing for Formula 1 and is curious to see if things will change in the upcoming season. Reflecting on McLaren’s season, he divided it into three parts: a slow start, improvement in Austria and Singapore, and then a steady development phase. Stella acknowledged that while McLaren didn’t regress, other teams have closed the gap on them or even overtaken them. He emphasized the need for McLaren to continue making progress in order to enjoy similar results in the future.
