F1 News
Stella hits out at McLaren's rivals: 'They're using psychological warfare'
Andrea Stella has suggested McLaren's rival F1 teams are using "psychological warfare to weaken the opponent". However, the Italian has hit back suggesting it has strengthened the Woking-based team as they look to close in on the Constructors' Championship.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are now regular contenders for pole positions, podiums and Grand Prix wins. In fact, they have a 40-point lead over Red Bull Racing with five Grands Prix and two sprint races remaining in the 2024 season.
Why Stella claims psychological warfare is being used
McLaren's Piastri won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but rival teams wanted an inspection of the rear wing. They had noticed a mini-DRS effect on the straight when the system wasn't activated. It became a talking point in the week that followed. "Our wings were compliant with the technical regulations and passed all the flexibility checks in force, at the same time we had conversations with the international federation receiving all the necessary reassurances," Stella said in an interview with Autosport.
Stella also wanted to highlight how this feels. "Seeing articles that appeared as a tool used by teams that wanted to put McLaren in a bad light through the media. It is an attempt at psychological warfare aimed at weakening the opponent," Stella said.
Yet the team boss also sees the upside. For the McLaren chief, it is a sign that the competition is panicking: "In the end, this story has strengthened us even more as a team because, when the opponents start to get so distracted thinking about our technical solutions, I can say that they are giving us good news, it means that they are losing their compass a little," Stella concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Jarlo van der Vloed
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