‘They are going to be contenders’ – McLaren boss Andrea Stella braced for Ferrari challenge over second half of season

Andrea Stella reckons McLaren will face more of a test from their rivals across the final 10 rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign, and Ferrari in particular, following his team’s imperious run in the opening half of the year.

McLaren have been the class of the field so far this season, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris racking up 11 Grand Prix wins between them – the other victories going to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (two) and Mercedes racer George Russell (one).

However, McLaren boss Stella is expecting a stiffer challenge after the summer break, with Ferrari’s recent upgrades appearing to pay off and Mercedes finding some form after scrapping a problematic rear suspension development.

In an unusual end to Qualifying in Hungary last time out, under dark clouds and with temperatures dropping, Charles Leclerc scored his and Ferrari’s first Grand Prix pole position of 2025 – and he went on to lead the first stint of the race before car problems took over.

“I’m not surprised, because Ferrari have been competitive over the last few races,” Stella said of Leclerc and Ferrari’s pace at the Hungaroring. “They were competitive in the dry in Silverstone, they were competitive in Belgium. Somehow, this wasn’t expressed fully.

“I think we saw [in Qualifying] that they were in condition to score the pole position, and [in the race], it’s not like in the first stint we were holding back. We were trying to go as fast as possible, and Leclerc was managing the lead of the race with some degree of control.”

He continued: “I think Ferrari [are] going to be a contender for victories for the remainder of the season. Definitely, anytime we [are] racing for the second part of the season, we would have to take into account that in Qualifying and in the race, we would have to deal with Ferrari.

“We would [also] have to deal with Mercedes, and [at the Hungarian Grand Prix] Max was a bit out of contention, but Max, I’m sure, will find a way to fight for victories.

“So, there’s nothing obvious in this business. This is exactly what we said in our briefing after Qualifying [in Hungary], and this is what we will keep repeating [to] ourselves in the second part of the season.”

Nonetheless, McLaren are very much in control of the Teams’ Championship after 14 of 24 scheduled rounds – the Woking-based squad boasting more than double the points of second-placed Ferrari.

In the Drivers’ battle, just nine points separate McLaren pair Piastri and Norris at the top of the standings, with third-placed Verstappen now almost 100 points off the championship lead.