McLaren claims Mercedes has finally started ‘exploiting’ maximum performance out of the ever-improving W15

Mercedes secured their first podium of the season under tricky conditions during the Canadian GP.

McLaren claims Mercedes has finally started ‘exploiting’ maximum performance out of the ever-improving W15

Andrea Stella and Toto Wolff (via IMAGO)

McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella has shared his observations on Mercedes and their performance on the grid. Stella has pointed out that the German team has finally started extracting maximum power and performance out of their W15.

Mercedes showed massive improvement in Montreal, where the team took pole for the first time this season which started atrociously for the team. They finished P3 and P4 in the Canadian GP under tricky conditions, which caught the eye of many teams across the grid.

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Andrea Stella has pointed out that Mercedes has been able to chart good lap times across qualifying and practice ever since the Monaco GP and possesses tremendous potential to become the very best yet again. Stella further asserted that McLaren has always been wary of the silver arrows as they continue to show huge performance improvements.

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I said to some colleagues on Thursday that I think Mercedes is one of the fastest teams. Some of the lap times they drove in Monaco or at the previous events were out of reach for us…. We couldn’t do those lap times at that point in the weekend, even with low fuel and a revved engine. They clearly had potential, and I think they’re starting to learn how to exploit it.
Andrea Stella said during the Canadian GP

McLaren is currently faster than Mercedes by a few tenths but the race in Montreal showed that the Brackley-based team has the potential to get ahead. The two teams now fight for greater points and more podiums as an exciting battle brew between the teams in F1.

McLaren confirms upgrades ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix

McLaren has confirmed that they will be bringing upgrades for the race in Barcelona as they look to challenge the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. The Woking-based team has been impressive this season but continues to lack some pace as compared to the championship leaders.

MCL38
MCL38 (via IMAGO)
For the coming races, we will have some upgrades, but they won't be a single kind of big upgrade like we have seen over the last 12 months. This is more some individual components where we found a little bit of performance and rather than waiting to deploy everything together once ready we take it track side. So I won’t say what but we will see some new stuff coming over the few coming races.
Andrea Stella via Motorsport

Andrea Stella said that while McLaren has been competitive, they have not been able to beat Red Bull and Ferrari on numerous occasions based on pure pace. Stella asserted that to have a real chance in the championship, it is now time for the Papayas to perfect their speed and approach in the upcoming races of the season.

McLaren finished P2 and P5 in Montreal, which is a good performance for them given the conditions and hindrances during the Canadian GP. They currently stand at 212 points, which is an impressive feat for them given their position in the previous season. However, despite this, the team continues to trail by a whopping 89 points to championship leaders Red Bull, who have been superior to the Woking-based team on several occasions this season.

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