McLaren concede F1 failures as championship battle hots up

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella insists Brazil was a net positive for the Woking outfit, as it extended its advantage in the F1 constructors' championship, despite the poor result in the grand prix.

F1 now heads to Las Vegas and with three-rounds remaining, the papaya squad leads Ferrari by 36 points. Red Bull is 13 points further back, in third.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claimed a one-two finish in the sprint at Interlagos, but could only manage sixth and eighth, respectively, in the grand prix, despite the former starting from pole.

Max Verstappen romping through from P17 on the grid to victory all but sealed the drivers' title for the Dutchman, with Norris now 62 points adrift.

The British driver made a number of mistakes in the changeable conditions, losing valuable time and places. It was something Stella appeared keen to take responsibility for, shielding Norris from the blame.

"As a team, we have to acknowledge that our car in those conditions was difficult, tricky and sometimes just unpredictable," the 53-year-old told media including RacingNew365.

However, despite the momentum gained by Ferrari over recent rounds and the difficult result in Brazil, the constructors' outlook is looking considerably more optimistic for McLaren, as it chases a first constructors' championship since 1998.

Although the team had its advantage reduced over the Americas triple header, from the 41-point lead it held over Red Bull heading into the United States Grand Prix - with Ferrari also whittling its deficit down from 75 points pre-Austin - Stella highlighted the seven it pulled out on the Scuderia over the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

"At the moment, we take the positives from a [constructors'] championship points point of view," the Italian added.

"And definitely, we take also several situations in which we could have done better...

"But, like always, we will review in a very constructive way.

"And while you focus on the opportunities, I would also praise the positives of having finished the race, having finished with good points - we increased our gap to the [current] runner-up in the constructors' championship."