McLaren identify key F1 deficit to Mercedes

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that Mercedes still possesses the fastest car in F1, despite the significant upgrade package brought to the Miami Grand Prix that propelled the MCL40 towards the front of the grid.

The Woking-based squad made substantial progress in Florida, taking pole position and a one-two finish in the sprint race, whilst Lando Norris fought for victory in the grand prix itself.

It represents a marked improvement from the Woking-based squad's position as the third-fastest team — behind Mercedes and Ferrari — at the start of the season.

Yet Stella, speaking to media, including RacingNews365, was clear in his assessment that the Silver Arrows retain a performance advantage, after Kimi Antonelli held on for his third-successive victory.

"I think there's a few indications of a different nature, but all quantitative, that tell a picture that Mercedes is a faster car," the 55-year-old said.

The Italian pinpointed specific corner sequences at the Miami International Autodrome where the W17 pulled clear of the MCL40, particularly through high-speed sections, to illustrate his point.

"I think qualifying [on Saturday], we saw that Mercedes don't have any problem with deployment, like they had in sprint qualifying and, on average, if we see the behaviour of the cars in the corners, they are faster than us," he explained.

"The corners in which they are mainly faster than us are the high-speed corners. So in the section [Turns] 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, they gain quite a bit on McLaren."

Stella also highlighted race-stint analysis as evidence, referencing Antonelli's pace relative to Norris, who finished second, ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri, who was a distant third.

"And then in the race, if we look at the end of the first stint, and then the end of the last stint, Antonelli, in the first, closes the gap, and in the last, opens the gap," he added.

"So I think all these factors indicate that Mercedes is a faster car. When we were slower, our execution was perfect, like in the sprint qualifying, and their execution was a few tenths off their potential."

Mercedes is expected to introduce more comprehensive updates at the Canadian Grand Prix, where McLaren will also bring further enhancements.