After a compelling weekend at the F1 Japanese GP, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella offered a measured take on the state of the 2025 Formula 1 season – particularly on the performance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing.
While Verstappen once again showed why he’s one of the sport’s most complete drivers in its history, Stella believes the bigger picture is still forming.
McLaren’s momentum and the Suzuka exception
McLaren have been the standout team in the early part of the season. Suzuka saw Red Bull edge ahead, but McLaren still impressed with a strong double podium in second and third. That consistency has underlined their credentials as true title contenders.
Still, Andrea Stella isn’t ready to draw conclusions just yet and is wary of both Mercedes and Ferrari.
“We treat Max and Red Bull like wires,” he said. “Russell, how can you discount Leclerc, Hamilton? Obviously Ferrari [is] struggling a little bit now, but we treat all these certainly within the spectrum of the full season – at least until we haven’t stabilised a little bit.”
That variability from track to track, Stella explains, makes it difficult to predict any team’s ultimate trajectory. Suzuka, with its high-speed corners and technical demands, naturally favoured Red Bull’s current package. But just one race earlier in Shanghai, it was Lewis Hamilton who won the sprint. George Russell also showed strong race pace – evidence, Stella says, that we’re still in a “transient phase”.
The Max Verstappen factor at the F1 Japanese GP – and its limits according to Andrea Stella
While Red Bull may not have had the strongest car so far, Verstappen’s influence continues to be a key differentiator. Andrea Stella praised the Dutch driver’s impact, noting, “Max at the moment is somehow making the difference himself.”
It’s not that Stella believes Verstappen is overachieving, but rather that he’s extracting the absolute maximum from the package he has. However, Stella also issued a word of caution: “It’s very difficult to keep up for 24 events in a season if you don’t have the best car.”
The current McLaren Team Principal was Fernando Alonso’s race engineer at Scuderia Ferrari in 2012 when the Spanish driver nearly pulled off a miraculous third title.
The bigger picture
For Stella and McLaren, the focus remains on sustained excellence across the calendar – not just chasing wins, but banking points and maximising opportunities when they are on the table.
“It’s important that we are not in condition to win – we keep racing in a robust way,” he explained. “If you can’t win, finish on the podium. In the long term, if you keep performing like this, I think this will be rewarding.”
Fernando Alonso says Max Verstappen needs help from Red Bull Racing
Fernando Alonso also gave his thoughts in the print media zone after the F1 Japanese GP. As previously mentioned, the Spaniard was agonisingly close to a third Drivers’ Championship in 2012 despite Red Bull having a faster car all through that season in the hands of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
The 43-year-old reflected on what Max Verstappen is currently achieving and how it reminds me of that season 13 years ago.
“I’ve been there, I’ve been fighting for world championships with the third, fourth fastest car. So at the end it’s difficult, as it was difficult for me to beat Vettel.
“So I hope for him he can fight until the end, but they need to improve a little bit the machine.
“Well, he won 4, so he can fight with a little bit less competitive car. But yeah, it’s hard and I think the people don’t realise how difficult it is and how you need to make it perfect every weekend.
“And he’s doing so far, and as I said, it reminds me of my 2012 in a way, when the car was not so good and we fought for the championship.
“But to win it at the end, let’s see, I hope for him he can do it.”
Game on
As the paddock moves on from Suzuka and looks ahead to the next phase of the championship, Stella’s reflections offer a grounded perspective. The early storylines are promising – but this is a 24-race marathon, not a sprint.
Verstappen remains a threat. Red Bull can never be counted out. But if McLaren’s form holds, and the team keeps executing with this level of consistency, the 2025 season could shape up to be one of the most tightly contested yet.
