McLaren voice relief after Red Bull elect against Max Verstappen 'gamble'

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has highlighted the relief felt by the squad after Red Bull opted not to implement a “significant gamble” to win the São Paulo Grand Prix.

Starting from the pit lane, Verstappen made an early pit stop due to a puncture, swapping from the hard to the medium tyre.

Verstappen made his second pit stop on lap 34 and cycled to the lead after Lando Norris made his final stop on lap 50.

It set up the possibility of a showdown for the win before Red Bull pitted Verstappen for a third time, switching him to the soft compound and securing a podium finish.

It offered some comfort for Stella, who was wary of the possibility of having to catch up and pass Verstappen on the track.

"First of all, I was hoping [Verstappen would pit] because it made our life a little bit easier,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.

“But jokes [aside], today the level of degradation was very high. And at some stage, I think the tyres just ran out of rubber.

“They knew at Red Bull that it would have been quite a significant gamble to go to the end with the same set.

"Considering the fact that they had a new soft to put on, I think that was the right thing to do.”

Red Bull opted to dramatically change Verstappen's car, relegating him to the pit lane for the start after a disappointing qualifying effort saw him eliminated in F1.

Stella asserted that without his qualifying drama, Verstappen would have been a major factor in the fight for victory.

“Staying on the point of Red Bull, they definitely took advantage of having new tyres, new medium, new soft,” he said.

"But at the same time, they showed a performance and a pace in the race that is meaningful, that without the situation yesterday in qualifying, I think Verstappen would have been there for the victory.”