McLaren crew boss Andrea Stella says he expects “attention-grabbing racing” within the Formulation 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale as Max Verstappen begins forward of fellow title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, however expects the Dutchman to race pretty.
Verstappen took an important pole forward of Norris and Piastri on the Yas Marina Circuit, with the four-time world champion having to win the race to maintain his hopes of a fifth consecutive crown alive.
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However Verstappen, who’s trailing Norris by 12 factors, nonetheless wants some assist from others, as Norris solely wants to complete third within the occasion of an eighth win of the season for his rival. Piastri, who begins third, equally must win the race to remain in competition, however at 16 factors the Australian wants a good worse end result for Norris.
Observers are due to this fact anticipating Verstappen to try to again Norris into the site visitors behind, not not like Lewis Hamilton’s ploy to try to defeat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in 2016, within the hope of a giant battle including some additional jeopardy to Norris’ race.
When requested by Motorsport.com about such a state of affairs, McLaren chief Andrea Stella mentioned he was assured any Verstappen antics would stay truthful.
“By way of the choices that Max has accessible to try to place automobiles, actually I am not too apprehensive,” Stella mentioned. “I feel we are going to see some attention-grabbing racing, however I am certain all this can occur inside the boundaries of sportsmanship and equity.”
The Italian added: “We have now seen in follow that the extent of degradation and graining was above expectation. There could also be causes to regulate the tempo even from a tyre perspective, not essentially due to some strategic cause for the lead automobile.”
In 2024 Flip 1 noticed contact between Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
The beginning order for the race is ideal for Norris, so Stella is advising the Briton to make sure he protects second from the automobiles behind moderately than try to have a go at Verstappen from the lead. Yas Marina has an ungainly grid and run to Flip 1, on condition that the racing line runs diagonally throughout the observe and due to this fact does not characteristic a giant shift in grip ranges between the 2 sides of the grid, which price Norris a place to Verstappen final week in Qatar.
“I feel from Lando’s perspective, contemplating the within in nook one, I feel he’ll simply be comparatively prudent,” Stella defined. “It is a kind of the place from the within not essentially you get the higher exit, the automobile on the surface can shut, so I feel there shall be some prudency which is what I’d suggest.
“Lando is in a really sturdy place from this perspective, so I feel that is the method.”
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One other aspect may very well be Crimson Bull’s second automobile Yuki Tsunoda, who sacrificed his Q3 to provide Verstappen a tow, and may very well be an element from tenth on the grid if Crimson Bull had been to increase his first stint.
Stella actually noticed no bones in Tsunoda’s sacrifice was truthful sport, particularly given Verstappen went even faster on his second lap with no slipstream.
“I am not essentially shocked that Crimson Bull might play as a crew, it is inside their prospects. I do not assume that is unfair,” he mentioned.
“However really, the pole place lap is the lap after, so Max did it even with out the tow, so truthful sport to Max. I feel he was the quickest automobile right now and he deserved the pole place, and he bought it. We’re nonetheless in place for the race so all nonetheless in our arms.”
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