Stella demands McLaren “resilience” in Red Bull title fight

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella urged the Woking-based team to be “resilient” ahead of Formula 1’s return to action this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The end of the summer break marks the start of a wild 10-race final sprint to the end of the current season, with McLaren seemingly having the most balanced and competitive package.

In the final laps before the summer break, McLaren was able to significantly reduce Red Bull's lead in the constructors' championship.

Red Bull comes to Zandvoort with just a 42-point lead over McLaren, a gap that could narrow further at this weekend's Dutch GP and at Monza next weekend.

McLaren's biggest strength over Red Bull is that both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are performing strongly, while Sergio Perez has struggled in recent months.

The summer break came at an unusual time for McLaren, as the team had already built up a strong momentum that it would like to restore at Zandvoort.

Considering how McLaren finished the first half of the season, there is no doubt that the team has its best chance of winning the Constructors' title in over a decade.

To achieve this, every mistake or sign of weakness from Red Bull must be exploited. The first step will be this weekend in Zandvoort, where Max Verstappen is aiming for his fourth home victory in a row.

Stella is looking forward to the return of Formula 1 and is aware that McLaren has a real chance of winning the title.

“After a two-week break, we are now returning to racing with renewed energy,” said Stella. “The Dutch fans always create a great atmosphere that we can't wait to experience again.”

“Zandvoort is a short, technical race track that presents a completely different challenge than Spa or Monza.

“This weekend marks the start of a very busy period with four races in five weeks. To ensure we make the most of the opportunities ahead, we need to be resilient and focused and work closely as a team to achieve maximum performance.”