Stella warns McLaren that "the level of competition is even greater than last season"

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has warned his team that " the level of competition is potentially even greater than last season".

The British team have made a super start to the 2025 Formula 1 season, winning four out of the first five races and jumping out to a huge constructors' championship lead, reaching 188 points and sitting 77 points clear of Mercedes in second.

However, as the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last time out, although Oscar Piastri took his third win of the season, the pace and their tyre management that was so effective in 2024 did not seem to be present, which will pose a worry to Stella and his team.

Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen going into turn 1 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Stella expecting another tight battle in Miami

Last year, McLaren secured its first victory in nearly two-and-a-half years in Miami, with Lando Norris taking his first-ever win in F1 in the process. However, Stella believes that the dominance they had last year may not be there this time around.

“After a successful triple header, we now head to the US for the Miami Grand Prix," explained the Italian team boss.

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"This is a special race for us as it’s where Lando took his first F1 race win, which was a key turning point in our journey to becoming World Champions last year.

"This year, the level of competition is potentially even greater than last season, so we go to Miami focused on maintaining momentum and consolidating our progress," a focused Stella continued.

The Grand Prix of Miami is also known for its fans and the show it puts on, something Stella is looking forward to once again.

“The fans always add to the already exciting atmosphere in Miami, and, as always, are of great encouragement to the team. We can’t wait to go racing again,” concluded the 54-year-old.

This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut