McLaren 'thank' Mercedes for F1 title fight intervention

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has thanked Mercedes for its one-two finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It was a result for the Brackley-based team that denied Ferrari best capitalising on an off weekend for the Woking squad. George Russell led Lewis Hamilton home in Sin City, with the Scuderia's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc reaching the chequered flag in third and fourth, respectively. Mercedes found surprising form in Nevada, in cold conditions that proved difficult for much of its competitors to acclimatise to, including McLaren. As Lando Norris' F1 drivers' championship aspirations died, he crossed the line in sixth, with Oscar Piastri behind in seventh. It saw Ferrari cut the papaya outfits constructors' standings lead from 36 point to 24, with two rounds to run. "It's disappointing that we lost 12 points in the championship, but at the same time, considering how much we struggled this weekend, somehow we really have to thank Mercedes for having performed so strong and securing the P1-P2 position," Stella told media including RacingNews365 . "Otherwise, Ferrari would have been an even bigger threat in the constructors' championship."

Failure to achieve 'boring'

At one point during the race in Las Vegas, the Italian team were running second and third, whilst Piastri was down in ninth. That would have seen the deficit reduced to 14 points, highlighting how much worse things could have been for McLaren, even with Ferrari not in a position to take victory. F1 heads to Qatar and Abu Dhabi to close out the campaign, two circuits that Stella's team is expected to perform better at. Nevertheless, things are closer than he would ultimately prefer them to be as the eight-time constructors' champions look to add a first crown to its collection since 1998, an achievement that would push them clear of Mercedes - and level with Williams on nine. "It's a very interesting, much more than I would have liked, final part of the season," the 53-year-old mused. "I always try to get things to be boring, but that's not the case."