McLaren not taking Ferrari’s underwhelming F1 qualifying performance at “face value”
Ferrari qualified seventh and eighth for the season opener, but McLaren thinks the Scuderia is much quicker in reality
McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella feels Ferrari’s disappointing result in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix is not reflective of its true pace.
While Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row for McLaren, the team that was expected to be its closest challenger at the start of the season endured a tough qualifying session.
Charles Leclerc qualified down in seventh place at the Albert Park Circuit, 0.659s down on polesitter Norris, while new star signing Lewis Hamilton wound up another two tenths adrift in eighth.
The two Ferraris were not only outqualified by McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but also the Racing Bulls of Yuki Tsunoda and the Williams of Alex Albon.
However, Stella says he cannot afford to underestimate his rivals, suggesting Ferrari isn’t as far from McLaren as lap times would suggest.
“I don't really take Ferrari's performance today at face value,” he told Sky. “I think they are much closer than the gaps in Q3 would tell.
“So I think qualifying today has shown that Red Bull are not far, Verstappen has put together a strong lap, Russell [too]. We don't have to undervalue that.
“The car is certainly competitive but Oscar and Lando have done a very good job with some stress in the first attempt in Q3, but a very good job of maximising what was available.”
McLaren was considered by most to be the favourite heading into the new season, having won the constructors’ championship in 2024 and carried that form into testing in Bahrain last month.
But Stella says he was surprised that McLaren was four tenths quicker than its rivals in qualifying, as he expected Melbourne to be one of the weaker tracks for the MCL39.
“Perfect way to start the season, indeed,” he said. “It is almost surprising in a way that the car has enjoyed this kind of strengths at a circuit which we did not necessarily think would be one of our favourites of the season.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire team at McLaren, men and women that have worked so hard over the winter to improve a car that was already quite competitive, a world champion car.
“We knew that we couldn't be complacent because Formula 1 is experiencing one of the most competitive situations ever, with so many cars that are in contention to fight for wins.”
