McLaren boss Andrea Stella insists that his team "do not need these kind of reminders" about Max Verstappen's 'enemy' status after the Japanese Grand Prix.
Stella's team looked like favourites for the Suzuka race after dominating practice but Verstappen stole pole position by 0.012s from Lando Norris, going on to convert it into the win as Oscar Piastri finished third.
Although McLaren does have the fastest car, Verstappen has been able to overcome the deficiencies in the Red Bull to be a constant threat, including finishing less than a second behind Norris in the Australia season-opener, and is just a single point behind the Briton in the drivers' standings.
When asked if the Suzuka result was a reminder that 'the enemy is external', Stella rejected the idea.
“We don't need these kind of reminders because we talk about this every Thursday and every Sunday of every single race weekend," Stella told media including RacingNews365.
"We are here first of all to beat the other teams and put McLaren in a very strong position, and when McLaren is in a strong position, then that is the best position for the two drivers to pursue their aspirations.
"That is very clear to the team, very clear to the drivers and when you have these messages coming from the track, maybe if anything, they reinforce the message that we do have to keep working well together.
"Because before it becomes an internal business only, there is quite a lot of work to do to clear some of the competitors, because [Mercedes' George] Russell wasn't very far away in China."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they reflect on the Japanese Grand Prix and look ahead to Bahrain. Max Verstappen's victory is a major talking point, as is McLaren's serious strategical weakness. Jack Doohan's struggles is also discussed.
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