McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has stated that the margin for error for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri has reduced after Max Verstappen's recent back-to-back wins.
Verstappen triumphed in Italy before he climbed to the top step of the podium two weeks later in Baku, taking his sixth career grand slam.
It has sprouted suggestions that Verstappen could become a late factor in the title battle that has largely been between Norris and Piastri thus far.
Stella has highlighted his belief that Verstappen is a contender for the championship, despite being 69 points adrift of championship leader Piastri.
The McLaren boss has added the Dutchman has now become a factor that Norris and Piastri must consider when navigating a race weekend.
"When you race at the top of Formula 1 the competition is so tight, simply you cannot afford errors in any case,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.
“There will be your contenders that are ready to take advantage.
“Before this might have been Mercedes in Canada or Max at the start of the season.
“We don’t have to forget that Red Bull won two races at the start of the season and if anything, they slipped back in terms of performance.
“It now seems like they’ve found their way back.
"Considering the drivers' championship, certainly the margin for error reduces further, but this is always the ethos when you race in Formula 1.”
However, Stella asserted there are lessons that McLaren can learn from the weekend in Baku where it endured concerns such as reliability issues for Piastri and another slow pit stop for Norris.
“Hopefully some of the inaccuracies and issues that have accumulated in this weekend, because not only did we not have a fast enough car, but we also had some reliability issues that cost Oscar some time during practice,” he said.
“Therefore, there's quite a lot to take away for the drivers, but also for the team."
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