Latest news with #Woking-based
Straits Times
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
McLaren's progress faster than Ferrari in Schumacher era -Stella
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BUDAPEST - McLaren's rate of progress may be faster than Ferrari during their golden era with German Formula One great Michael Schumacher, team boss Andrea Stella said on Friday. The Italian worked at Maranello with seven-times champion Schumacher as an engineer during that period but told reporters at the Hungarian Grand Prix that he had been surprised by McLaren's growth. The Woking-based team won the constructors's title last season and are running away with both championships this year with Australian Oscar Piastri and Britain's Lando Norris fighting for the drivers crown. McLaren have won 10 of 13 races so far and are a mighty 268 points clear of second second-placed Ferrari in the team standings. In 2023 they were fourth overall and in 2022 fifth. "It's always difficult to compare across seasons," said Stella, who joined McLaren from Ferrari in 2015. "In this case, we are comparing across teams, and even myself, I was in a very different role, so my field of view, my perspective was very different. "But if I had to pick a couple of features of the journey that is happening here at McLaren, I would say the rate of progress that we have had in a couple of years is in itself pretty unique. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Asia Asia-Pacific economies welcome new US tariff rates, but concerns over extent of full impact remain Business ST explains: How Trump tariffs could affect Singapore SMEs, jobs and markets Asia Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore "And possibly the rate of progress itself was even faster than what we experienced at Ferrari in the very competitive times." Schumacher won five titles in a row between 2000-2004, with the last one a particularly dominant season and Ferrari winning 15 of 18 races. Stella said McLaren had set out an ambitious programme when deciding how much effort to put into developing their car this season, with a new engine era coming in 2026 that could shake up the pecking order. "We wanted to try and clear the 'going into race weekends and you never know who's going to win' situation we had last year, and we thought we needed to do a little bit more than the normal development," he said. "We embraced a very aggressive approach to innovation. The MCL39 is a very innovative car." Stella said it had also been upgraded considerably since the start of the season. Piastri and Norris have called the title battle a two-horse race, with the Australian 16 points ahead of his teammate but a massive 81 clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in third place, but Stella disagreed. "Definitely not. I only agree with mathematics. So once mathematics tells us that's the case, then I'll change my answer," he said. REUTERS
Hindustan Times
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
‘Piastri, Norris perform better when they're the hunter, not hunted'
NEW DELHI: Oscar Piastri was flying during the Belgian Grand Prix practice, through the famed 7km long Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, topping the session with absolute ease. The young Australian kept his foot on the throttle in sprint qualifying to beat his McLaren teammate Lando Norris by a big margin of six-tenths of a second. McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren's Lando Norris at the Belgian Grand Prix, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. (REUTERS) But come qualifying, Norris edged Piastri to take pole for the main race. On Sunday though, it was Piastri again who topped his teammate to take the race win and extend his championship lead to 16 points. This has been the story of not just the last Grand Prix weekend but the entire topsy turvy season with the dominant hand shifting from one McLaren driver to the other. By now — after 13 of 24 races — it is quite clear that one of the two drivers of the Woking-based squad is likely to win the championship unless something untoward happens. Despite Max Verstappen's sheer brilliance, which has earned him two wins this season, the Dutchman is unlikely to challenge for the title which will bring an end to the Red Bull driver's run of four successive championships. But which McLaren driver is going to end the run? 'It is a fight between the two McLaren drivers unless something goes wrong. The whole season has been going one time in favour of one of them and then the other and they both seem to react to each other in different ways,' former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who beat 7-time champion Michael Schumacher in an epic fight to win the title in 1997, told HT in an interaction. 'It is really hard to judge. I feel that Norris still has the edge on speed but Piastri has a cooler head. So, it balances out. Both drivers seem to perform better when they are not leading the championship, when they are the hunters and not the hunted. Leading the championship has a huge effect on your mind, the weight you carry on your shoulders.' Norris, 25, led the championship for the first four races before Piastri overtook him after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Though the 24-year-old has led the title fight since then, the battle has been extremely close with the two coming together in Montreal, which led to Norris's only DNF (did not finish) of the season. Had the Briton not crashed into his teammate while chasing him, the gap — 16 points currently — could have been negligible or even seen Norris in the championship lead. 'Lando seems to have recovered a bit (from a 22-point deficit after the Canada crash). He seems to be more emotional than Piastri. When you take the two into account, it's really hard to know which one has the better shot at winning,' said Villeneuve in a call facilitated by FanCode, the official broadcaster of F1 in India. 'You can tell the effect on both drivers. The minute Piastri became the championship leader, it had an effect on him that doesn't look like it was super positive. The same thing with Lando. Once he wasn't the championship leader, he started driving a little bit harder like he did last year. So, it does have a big psychological effect.' It seemed in the initial part of the season that Verstappen, who on Thursday confirmed he will stay with Red Bull in 2026, was also in the title fight. Former race winner Jean Alesi had in fact told HT that the Dutch reigning world champion will steal the title from the two McLaren drivers as they keep taking points from each other. But the last few races have changed the dynamics. Verstappen has gone three races without a podium, the first time it has happened in six years. 'Max is a different beast. He's a pure racer. He doesn't get too affected. It doesn't matter whether he's leading or running 10th, he will fight as hard. He's always out there giving his 100%, taking the risks, trying to always get that extra 10th of a second or that extra position, whether he's leading or not,' said the 54-year-old Canadian. 'You could see a little bit of frustration, because he doesn't like not winning. You can see that the team is going in the wrong direction. So that is a little bit frustrating. But he recovered very quickly from that. He seems to be the same Max now that he was when he was winning every race. He's one of the rare drivers that doesn't seem to be too affected.'
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
F1 Insider Predicts 'Mind Games' At McLaren For 2025 Championship
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Formula One presenter Naomi Schiff has predicted that "mind games" will be at play in the McLaren garage as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battle closely for the 2025 championship. McLaren's MCL39 F1 car has been a dominant machine this season thus far, given that Piastri and Norris occupy the top two positions in the Drivers' Standings in the same order. The Papaya outfit experienced a resurgence in the current ground effect era, mid-2024, and surpassed Red Bull to win the constructors' championship. The Woking-based outfit adopted a radical approach with the MCL39, which is mostly new compared to its predecessor, the MCL38. However, having a dominant car with two strong drivers could lead to a situation where they are constantly compared. Following Norris' British Grand Prix win last weekend, he closed the gap to Piastri in the championship by a considerable margin. He trails his Australian teammate by just 8 points. Sky Sports' Naomi Schiff has opened up on the probability of mental games affecting both drivers. She said: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren take part in media duties on the deck of the hospitality suite during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of... Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren take part in media duties on the deck of the hospitality suite during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 29, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. More"They have proven to be competitive at every circuit and have so much consistency that it doesn't look like anyone is able, yet, to take the fight to them. "So mind games will 100% come into it. "Comparison is the killer of joy! Your teammate next to you is constantly being compared. That's what will be hard. "I am sure [Mark Webber] has been giving [Piastri] help from the sidelines of all the things to think about." Schiff believes Norris has more homework to do than Piastri, considering he was slower in qualifying at Silverstone. She added: "There were a few places that Lando dropped the ball this weekend. "He didn't have the right lap in qualifying. He qualified behind his teammate. "There were rumours he was saving the inters but he didn't seem to be as quick as Oscar. "There are things for him to study despite his victory." Piastri failed to extend his lead in the championship after a safety car infringement at Silverstone, for which he was handed a ten-second penalty. That allowed Norris to take the lead and seal his victory. Expressing his frustration at the penalty, Piastri said after the race: "Yeah, I'm not gonna say much. I'll get myself in trouble, so well done to Nico. I think that's the highlight of the day, so... yeah, I'll leave it there." When Jenson Button insisted he spoke about the incident, Piastri added: "Yeah, I mean, apparently you can't brake behind the safety car anymore. I mean, I did it for five laps before that and... again, I'm not gonna say too much 'cause I'll get myself in trouble. But thanks to the crowd for a great event. Thanks for sticking through the weather. I still like Silverstone even if I don't like it today, so thanks for coming out."
TimesLIVE
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Former Ferrari boss Montezemolo becomes a McLaren Group director
Former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has joined the board of historic rival McLaren, a move that would have been unimaginable not so long ago. A filing with Companies House by Abu Dhabi-owned McLaren Group Holdings, which controls Woking-based sports car maker McLaren Automotive, registered Montezemolo as a director on June 27. The 77-year-old Italian joined Ferrari in 1973 as founder Enzo Ferrari's assistant and became team manager in 1974, a year before the late Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda secured his first title. He also presided over the Formula One team during a golden era when Michael Schumacher won five of his career seven titles between 2000-2004 and served as chair of both Ferrari and parent Fiat. McLaren and Ferrari, the two oldest and most successful teams in Formula One history, have been rivals for decades and were involved in a notorious "Spygate" scandal that erupted in 2007. British-based McLaren were stripped of all their championship points and fined a record $100m (R1.77bn) over a dossier of stolen Ferrari technical documents found in the possession of McLaren's chief designer. Both Ferrari and McLaren are under different management now, with Montezemolo resigning his roles at the Italian luxury sports car maker in 2014 and focusing on other business interests. CYVN, majority-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, created McLaren Group Holdings in April after completing its acquisition of McLaren Automotive. The group includes a non-controlling stake in McLaren Racing, the Formula One team whose majority shareholder is Bahrain's Mumtalakat and which operates completely independently. Paul Walsh, executive chair of McLaren Racing, is also one of the nine directors of McLaren Group Holdings, while McLaren team principal Andrea Stella previously worked for Ferrari. McLaren are the reigning Formula One constructors' world champions while Ferrari last won a title in 2008. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who took his first title for McLaren in 2008, is now driving for Ferrari. News of Montezemolo's new role was greeted with some amazement in Italy. 'Montezemolo-McLaren: What a slap in the face to Ferrari,' said sports newspaper Tuttosport in a headline.
Observer
28-06-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Former Ferrari boss Montezemolo becomes a McLaren Group director
LONDON: Former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has joined the board of historic rival McLaren, a move that would have been unimaginable not so long ago. A filing with Companies House by Abu Dhabi-owned McLaren Group Holdings, which controls Woking-based sportscar maker McLaren Automotive, registered Montezemolo as a director on June 27. The 77-year-old Italian joined Ferrari in 1973 as founder Enzo Ferrari's assistant and became team manager in 1974, a year before the late Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda secured his first title. He also presided over the Formula One team during a golden era when Michael Schumacher won five of his career seven titles between 2000-2004 and served as chairman of both Ferrari and parent FIAT. McLaren and Ferrari, the two oldest and most successful teams in Formula One history, have been rivals for decades and were involved in a notorious 'Spygate' scandal that erupted in 2007. British-based McLaren were stripped of all their championship points and fined a record $100 million over a dossier of stolen Ferrari technical documents found in the possession of McLaren's chief designer. Both Ferrari and McLaren are under different management now, with Montezemolo resigning his roles at the Italian luxury sportscar maker in 2014 and focusing on other business interests. CYVN, majority-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, created McLaren Group Holdings in April after completing its acquisition of McLaren Automotive. The group includes a non-controlling stake in McLaren Racing, the Formula One team whose majority shareholder is Bahrain's Mumtalakat and which operates completely independently. Paul Walsh, executive chairman of McLaren Racing, is also one of the nine directors of McLaren Group Holdings, while McLaren team principal Andrea Stella previously worked for Ferrari. McLaren are the reigning Formula One constructors' world champions while Ferrari last won a title in 2008. Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, who took his first title for McLaren in 2008, is now driving for Ferrari. News of Montezemolo's new role was greeted with some amazement in Italy. "Montezemolo-McLaren: What a slap in the face to Ferrari," said sports newspaper Tuttosport in a headline. ANSA news agency quoted Montezemolo as saying his heart "is and always will be red" and his new role was on the automotive side and did not involve Formula One. — Reuters
