McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has rejected claims made by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, after the Austrian insisted that their customer team had found a second per lap following a recent upgrade.
Up until the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren had been having a woeful season, mostly due to an uncompetitive package.
However, since the Woking-based team introduced a large upgrades package at the Red Bull Ring, they’ve been phenomenal.
McLaren have risen from seventh in the pecking order to the top three in rapid fashion, with them now having a car capable of challenging Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari.
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In recent races, they’ve beaten all three.
Lando Norris has claimed two podiums in the last four races, whilst he’s finished in the top five in all four.
On his way to second at the British Grand Prix, Norris even briefly led the race before reigning World Champion Max Verstappen made his expected way past.
Rookie Oscar Piastri has also shown real promise since the MCL60 received upgrades, with the Australian having finished in the top five in two of the last three races.
Piastri even finished second in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint, an event he led before also being overtaken by Verstappen.
McLaren have improved so much, that they’re seen by many as the team most likely to defeat Red Bull, something no outfit has done in 2023.
Wolff believes this has only become possible by the British side discovering a second in lap time.
Whilst Stella admits McLaren haven’t got an exact “numerical estimate” of the amount of time they’ve gained, he’s adamant that the margin isn’t as big as stated by Wolff.
“In fairness, we haven’t done a proper numerical estimate,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.com.
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“We had our own internal estimate based on what we saw in the aerodynamic maps and then you simulate these and this gives you a number, which I cannot share.
“But it wasn’t a second.
“So somehow, the behaviour of your car and the development of your car kind of helps with the tyres at the same time and this gives you further lap time benefit.”