03/06/2024
NEWS STORY
While playing down the claim that his team has done a good job of copying Red Bull's car, Andrea Stella also rejects the suggestion that his team's recent progress owed much to the MCL38's better handling of kerbs and bumps.
In the wake of difficult races at Imola and Monaco, Helmut Marko has pointed to a correlation problem that has meant the RB20 has been struggling on the circuits' bumps and kerbs.
Indeed, at a time, as Christian Horner is forever telling us, the cars are converging, some claim that McLaren's recent progress is down to the fact that while doing a better job of copying the Red Bull, the MCL38 handles kerbs better, thereby suggesting that the performance gap between the two teams is circuit specific.
"I think the picture of competitiveness for Red Bull is not entirely clear to me," admits Stella. "Clearly, Imola and Monaco are two tracks in which riding kerbs and riding bumps is important for performance, to some extent in Miami as well, but not that much.
"So I think, for instance, our progress, I don't think is just because we are more competitive on these kinds of characteristics," he adds. "I think that's more genuine, it's just we have added good downforce onto the car.
"If anything, our two drivers are not happy with the behaviour on kerbs and bumps, in Monaco, that's potentially the main limitation we still face."
"We are now in our third year with the current regulations, and people are copying," Marko told Austria's OE24. "Some copy better, and you can now see the result at McLaren. Ferrari has also constantly developed further.
"Our two drivers came to Monte Carlo enthusiastic and said that the car was great over the kerbs, but as soon as they were in the car, they said it was undriveable!"
"Exactly what is going on with Red Bull? I'm not so sure," says Stella. "I think we need a few more races to find out because obviously, we go next to Canada, which is another one very demanding on kerbs and bumps.
"Then I think some tracks after Canada will tell us more about the competitiveness situation."