McLaren boss Andrea Stella says Max Verstappen’s fresh set of Soft tyres could prove a “powerful weapon” in Sunday’s Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
Despite a front-row lockout at Zandvoort, the Red Bull driver is expected to be a major threat, according to Stella. Verstappen himself, however, remains sceptical at his home race.
Once again, McLaren picked up where it left off after the summer break, dominating the weekend with 1-2 finishes in every session except FP2. Oscar Piastri took the spoils ultimately ahead of team-mate Lando Norris.
However, Verstappen returned to the top three in qualifying for the first time since Silverstone, cutting his gap to the McLarens from nine-tenths in practice to just two-tenths by the end of Saturday.
While McLaren still looks set to dominate, Stella argued that the Dutchman still holds a trick up his sleeve when discussing race strategies.
“The strategy is one of the variables through which the competition between Lando and Oscar can express itself,“ he told media including Motorsport Week. “But let me first say that we have Lando, we have Oscar, and we have Max Verstappen.
“The first thing we have to do in the interest of the team and in the interest of Lando and Oscar is to make sure that we beat Max, who is not very far. He is two tenths away from us.”
He then turned to tyre strategies and Verstappen’s fresh Soft: “Even here, the strategy is not far between a one and a two stop. So I think it will be once again interesting, not only between the two McLaren drivers, but also with the other drivers.
“Max, for instance, has a new Soft that he saved from qualifying, and it could be a pretty powerful weapon if you can deploy this weapon strategically at the right time.”
Strategic tyre choices to shape Dutch GP showdown
Piastri, however, still believes that McLaren holds the strategic edge heading into the Dutch GP.
The Australian divulged that the team has multiple tyre options – two Hards and a Medium – while most rivals run just one Hard and one Medium.
With Zandvoort known for high tyre wear and Pirelli bringing softer compounds this year, McLaren’s flexibility could prove decisive in the race.
Despite this, Helmut Marko cut a confident figure after qualifying, explaining how Red Bull has closed the gap.
“The most interesting thing is that this morning we were still eight-tenths behind McLaren and now it’s only two-tenths,” he said. “On used tyres we’re even closer, so I think we’re in a position to make McLaren nervous on Sunday.”
While Marko expressed confidence in Red Bull’s pace, Verstappen remained more cautious about his race prospects.
“It’s a bit unknown, but I do think that what we have on the car now should be more stable,” the 27-year-old explained. “But this season in general, our race pace has not been the best if you compare it to a qualifying lap. I just hope that at least we can keep the guys behind us literally behind us in the race.”
The practicality of using his fresh set of Soft tyres is another question. On Friday, Marko had already suggested a one-stop strategy would be most realistic without relying on the softest compound Pirelli has brought to Zandvoort
“The harder the compound, the better we are,” he said. “It’s a Medium-Hard race with one stop for sure. So our hopes are in this direction.”
READ MORE – The strategic ace McLaren has up its sleeve for F1 Dutch GP
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