Speaking after the Italian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc overcame Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to score his and Ferrari’s first victory since Monaco, Stella offered a philosophical response to questions about McLaren missing an opportunity.
“I want to capitalise more on the competitiveness of the car,” replied the Team Principal. “In terms of the race, I think there may be a misunderstanding that the McLaren was by far the fastest car.
READ MORE: Brown opens up on ‘papaya rules’ and McLaren team orders debate as Norris misses out on golden opportunity
“I think Leclerc was as fast as the McLaren, as fast as Oscar in the first stint. Even in the second stint, he was behind the two McLarens and he could stay with the two McLarens.
“I think Ferrari this weekend were as competitive as us, at least with Leclerc, which for us is bad news. It meant we couldn’t simply cruise in the race, we needed to deal with them, and they did a good job exploiting some of the difference.”
