McLaren team principal on why they lost out to Red Bull in Imola

The finish of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was extremely close. Max Verstappen narrowly beat Lando Norris, who hounded the Dutchman in the second half of the race. However, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella did not quite agree with a statement Norris made about his chances of winning in Imola.

Norris, who crossed the finish line just seven-tenths after Verstappen, thought he needed just one or two more laps to overtake the Red Bull Racing driver and take his second victory in a row. However, his team boss Andrea Stella was a bit more realistic, stating that McLaren lost out to Red Bull in specific parts of the race.

Stella stresses: "It's Max Verstappen"

"63 laps is already a lot of laps. Many times you can say 'One lap more'. Also, it's Max Verstappen, " Stella said to Sky Sports. "I'm sure he was a bit in trouble but he managed to get the most out of what he had. Well done to Max and well done to our two drivers."

Tyres played an important role in the Grand Prix at Imola. Red Bull struggled on the hard tyre and McLaren struggled on the mediums. "We lost too much time in the first stint. We had too much rear degradation and thought today it was more about watching the mirrors than watching ahead of us," admitted Stella.

"When Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri were fighting each other, I think this initial investment paid dividend towards the end of the race. Lando had the best conditions of the tyres. In addition to the outright car pace, managing the tyres was an important factor. We have to say, Lando from his point of view has become a bit of a master." Said McLaren's team principal.