Ferrari handed surprising F1 boost by McLaren

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Ferrari will be a consistent challenger for victories in the second half of the season.

The Italian squad is the only team inside the top four in the standings that is yet to take a race victory this year.

Last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc took a surprise pole position - he led for much of the race before he endured a loss of pace in the closing stages and finished fourth.

Stella admitted he was not surprised by the speed on display for the Monegasque driver and expects Ferrari to be a constant threat for the rest of the campaign.

“I’m not surprised because Ferrari has been competitive over the last few races,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.

"They were competitive in the dry in Silverstone. They were competitive in Belgium. Somehow, this wasn’t expressed fully.

“I think we saw [in Hungary qualifying] that they were in condition to score the pole position, [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. So, I’m not surprised.

“I think Ferrari is going to be a contender for victories for the remainder of the season.

“If anything, I was a little surprised by the evolution of the final part of the race. I’m not sure if there was any kind of problem on Leclerc’s car.

"But definitely, any time 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.

McLaren is unlikely to be challenged in the championship battles as 11 victories from 14 rounds has left it with healthy leads in both standings.

But as Stella suggested that as the season winds down, McLaren will have more than Ferrari to worry about.

“We will have to deal with Mercedes,” he said. “Max [in Hungary] was a bit out of contention but I'm sure Max will find a way to fight for victories.

“So, there’s nothing obvious in this business.”