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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has conceded his squad no longer possesses the outright speed to compete for podium finishes after the Austrian Grand Prix, where Oscar Piastri finished fourth and Lando Norris seventh. While George Russell took victory and Max Verstappen once again battled at the sharp end, McLaren found itself unable to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull on pace alone. The admission marks a significant shift in tone for a team that has spent much of the season positioning itself as a genuine race-winning contender.
Stella's assessment came after a weekend at the Red Bull Ring that exposed the MCL38's current limitations. The team boss told Sky Sports that McLaren can only profit from misfortune elsewhere on the grid, pointing to Barcelona earlier this season as an example where reliability issues among rivals allowed his drivers to capitalise. The gap to the front has widened at a critical juncture in the championship, leaving McLaren dependent on incoming upgrades to restore its competitive edge.
Stella pins hopes on upgrade package
"We must accept that we are not currently competitive enough to fight for the podium, unless competitors retire or have reliability problems, as in Barcelona," Stella said. "Our mission is clear: we need to make the car faster. Upgrades are coming and they will have to make the difference."
The Italian's remarks underscore the pressure now facing McLaren's development team. Having briefly emerged as Red Bull's closest challenger earlier in the campaign, the Woking outfit has slipped back into the chasing pack. Whether the forthcoming aerodynamic package can reverse that trajectory remains the central question for a squad that entered 2025 with genuine ambitions of challenging for race wins on merit.
Norris points to familiar first-lap weakness
Norris, who finished seventh, identified a recurring issue that has plagued McLaren across multiple race weekends. While his getaway was strong, the Briton struggled in the opening exchanges and lost positions as a result. "A big part of the race today was determined by strategy, but my first lap was also not good enough," Norris said. "My start was actually very strong, but after that I had a hard time. I put the car in the wrong place a few times and lost positions because of it."
Norris acknowledged that both McLaren drivers are grappling with the same car characteristics, making it difficult to extract consistent performance across a race weekend. "Oscar got the maximum out of it this weekend; last week I was the one who got everything out of it," he explained. "We both have the same complaints about the car. It is clearly not an easy machine to set up perfectly every weekend, but we are making small steps forward."
Piastri satisfied with damage limitation
Piastri secured the best result for McLaren with fourth place, holding off both Ferraris in the process. The Australian was realistic about what was achievable, stating he had extracted everything possible from the package. "I could not have done more today," Piastri said. "We simply did not have the speed to challenge Mercedes or Max Verstappen. That we both kept the Ferraris behind us makes this a very good day. I am satisfied with that."
McLaren now faces a development race against Ferrari and Mercedes, with the midfield battle tightening as the European leg of the season continues. The team's ability to close the gap to Red Bull and the resurgent Silver Arrows will hinge on whether its next round of updates delivers the step change Stella is banking on.
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