Andrea Stella has warned McLaren that it must be prepared for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to be the strongest combination at every round for the rest of the F1 season.
The team principal of the Woking-based squad insists the resurgent form of the RB21 in the hands of the Dutchman "can't only be ascribed" to circuit specifics, on what has turned into a dominant weekend in Austin.
The four-time F1 drivers' champion will start the United States Grand Prix from pole position, with Lando Norris alongside, with Oscar Piastri in the second MCL39 a distant sixth on the grid.
A more pressing concern for the two McLaren drivers is that after their double DNF in the sprint at the Circuit of the Americas, the Red Bull driver is now only 33 and 55 points behind them, respectively.
Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, Stella conceded: "I think we have to admit that, at the moment, Verstappen and Red Bull are the most competitive car, up to a certain point
"We've talked about the impact of the track layout, and I think this is true in Baku, it's true in Singapore, and to some extent, it's true in Austin.
"But the gaps we're experiencing now to Verstappen, they can't only be ascribed to the track layout.
"I think it's clear that Red Bull has taken a step forward, and on our side, we need to look at how we can extract more out of the package."
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A prescient word of warning
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Previously, Stella has pinpointed the Sao Paulo, Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix as races where the constructors' champions should have an advantage over the renewed threat of the 28-year-old.
The Italian reiterated his stance that Verstappen and Red Bull are the most competitive combination in F1 at the moment, before adding: "This has been confirmed in multiple layouts.
And I still think that in the three venues mentioned [Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi], we should be able to exploit the strength of the car, which comes mainly when you can roll speed in the middle of the corner.
"[in Austin] We have definitely been struggling in all the braking zones. However, I would have expected a smaller gap here, if anything.
"So, we have to look at the facts. We have to look at the numbers, just objectively..."
The 54-year-old explained that the team did not extract all of the available performance out of the MCL39 in qualifying, before concluding with a word of warning: "But we need to be ready as a team, and as drivers, to Max and Red Bull being competitive and possibly the fastest car at every one of the remaining races."
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