McLaren address 'turning point' claim after Hungarian GP breakthrough

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has denied the Hungarian Grand Prix marked a “turning point” for the squad.

The Woking-based squad sealed pole position on Saturday with Lando Norris before the reigning champion went on to seal the team's first victory of the season the following day.

It has been a largely challenging campaign thus far for McLaren who was unable to carry over its championship-winning form from the prior year.

McLaren's step forward in performance came following the introduction of new upgrades - but Stella asserted the jump was not unique to the team

“I have to say, this year pretty much the top teams have always been successful in introducing upgrades, from what I can see,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.

“I think this is because the rules are still relatively immature, and the opportunities in terms of developing the car are almost low-hanging fruit to cash in. 

“So I don't think McLaren has any particular advantage in 'oh everything we take is successful'. 

“Everyone is now doing a good job in terms of bringing successful upgrades.”

With the season at its halfway point, Stella insisted the title race will be heavily influenced by which team still has the resources to deliver more upgrades in the second half of the campaign.

“It will be more about how many upgrades the top teams will be conditioned to deliver so far and for what's left of the season, because we are only midway in this season,” he said.

“It's far too early to say whether this is a turning point for McLaren or not. We just look at the facts. 

“The fact is that the upgrades delivered as we intended.”