McLaren boss Andrea Stella has reminded his team that the intense Formula 1 title fight with Red Bull is a “big privilege” and not a situation to “stress” over.
The Woking-based squad held a commanding lead in both the championships exiting the summer break.
And while the team secured back-to-back Constructors’ titles in Singapore, the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, has blown the Drivers’ title fight wide open.
Verstappen, who trailed leader Oscar Piastri by a staggering 104 points after Zandvoort, now sits only 40 points off the Australian after a dominant weekend at Austin.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko even claimed that Verstappen’s relentless pursuit of a fifth consecutive world title has shaken the confidence of the McLaren duo as mistakes have started to creep into their performances.
Stella, who has seen championship success with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, has sent a message to his team on how to approach the tough competition served up by the Dutchman and the Milton Keynes-based squad.
“Well, first of all, I need to keep myself calm, which, thanks to the experience, as you say, and also by putting things in good perspective,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I hope that I will be able to do so. And we keep talking about the fact that what we are facing in this moment, which is a tight competition to win races, a tight competition in the quest for the Drivers’ Championship, is what Formula 1 is about.
“If anything, it was anomalous when we were doing easily P1, P2, like in Barcelona, in Bahrain, in some other places. That’s not what Formula 1 is about. “
The Italian urged his team not to get bogged down by the prospect of facing the stern challenge that Verstappen is keen to impose.
Rather, he wants the entire team to revel in this championship fight and enjoy the essence of competing at the pinnacle of single-seater, open-wheel motorsport.
“So, it’s a process of getting used with this kind of pressure, which we want to live with maximum intensity and minimum stress,” he added.
“We don’t want to lose the joy of doing what we do.”
McLaren urged to recognise title fight privilege
Going into the final five races of the 2025 season, McLaren not only has Verstappen to contend with but also an intense intra-team rivalry between Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris.
Stella, however, conceded that amid this, it is easy to lose sight of the work that the team has put in to be in such a position in the first place.
Therefore, the only advice he could impart to his colleagues is to embrace the pressure and remember what a big privilege being emroiled in a cutthroat title fight is.
“We just want to make sure that we put ourselves in the state in which we perform at our best, which also includes having fun and recognising that ultimately it’s quite a big privilege to be in this situation,” he said.
“And it’s a privilege that came thanks to the good work that McLaren, the team, the two drivers have been able to do. So what we do in the future is very easy.
“We keep doing the good work and the results will take care of themselves.”
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