McLaren boss Andrea Stella has taken a swipe at Red Bull, accusing the reigning world champions of shaping a misleading narrative to downplay their competitive strength in Formula 1.
The McLaren team principal made the comments after Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen will start from the front for the third time this season, but Stella is not buying into the idea that Red Bull is at a disadvantage in Miami.
Instead, he claims the team has created a storyline that positions its success as miraculous — when, in fact, they remain among the top performers in the paddock.
“Red Bull, they are very good at making fast cars, they are very exceptionally good I would say at driving fast cars and they are extremely good also in creating the narrative to their advantage,” Stella told the press.
“They exploit every possible opportunity to stay in the competition and some of these opportunities sometimes is to create the narrative like: ’oh we are making miracles here, the others should win every single practice session and qualifying and race’.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Stella questions Red Bull narrative as McLaren closes in
Stella believes Red Bull’s ability to frame itself as an underdog has become part of its competitive strategy.
While McLaren has narrowed the gap and regularly challenges for pole positions and podiums, the Italian team boss insists his focus remains on performance rather than public perception.
“This is the narrative created by some of our competitors which we read occasionally and then we change the page,” Stella continued.
“We focus on ourselves, and when we focus on ourselves, we look at the numbers, we look at the facts, we look at what we should be improving — and there’s a lot that we should be improving.”
He also praised Norris and Piastri for their consistency, implying that McLaren’s strength lies in having two capable drivers performing at a high level every weekend.
“So for me when I look at the facts, I also look at what Lando and Oscar deliver and deliver quite consistently, so yeah, well done to Red Bull even in terms of the way they manage their non-technical opportunities,” Stella added.
With Red Bull continuing to battle McLaren at the front and Ferrari struggling for form, the war of words adds another layer to an increasingly intense championship fight.
