McLaren’s Team Principal Andrea Stella believes the relationship between Red Bull and sister team VCARB should be reviewed. This comes after an incident where VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo pitted for soft tires to clinch the fastest lap just before the end of the race, thereby costing race winner Lando Norris a vital point in the championship.
The Woking-based squad had been strong all weekend, with Norris setting multiple fastest lap times and building a significant lead from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, as well as Oscar Piastri securing the third place on the podium.
However, the situation took a controversial turn when Ricciardo pitted for fresh soft tires and surpassed Norris’s time by nearly half a second during his final lap.
Stella voiced his concerns following the race, commenting, as quoted by Motorsport.com:
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 12, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Andrea Stella believes the relationship between Red Bull and VCARB should be reviewed.
Clive Mason/Getty Images
“This is a big matter. You know, as soon as you invoke the sportsmanship, I think you need to approach this with a sense of responsibility, that I want to have.
“I don’t know the facts. I just saw that RB went for the fastest lap, and they achieved it. But for me here talk about sportsmanship and so on, I think is… it would be out of place. So I think we have to take it at face value.
“They scored the fastest lap, and potentially as part of a longer-term conversation, we need to put the sport in a position in which, at any stage – being it trackside or being it factory-side – teams behave in a totally autonomous manner, because this is a constructors’ championship.
“This needs to be definitely addressed. But at no point I have elements now to say RB went for the fastest lap to support the Red Bull. I just find it a little… how to say… peculiar. I did not see it coming.
“I was a little surprised that the highest priority of RB racing in Singapore was to go and score the fastest lap of the race. I think we just have to work harder to make sure that this [championship] doesn’t come down to a point.
“At the same time, I have so much sympathy, support and friendship with Daniel that I’m just happy that he may add this fastest lap to his track record.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Team Principal, Christian Horner, refrained from directly addressing RB’s actions.
“I don’t know what happened there. I think the team was discussing it…so I think in the end we decided to stay as it was decided anyway. I think the team was thinking about it but in the end it didn’t happen.”
2024 Singapore Grand Prix Results
1. Lando Norris
2. Max Verstappen
3. Oscar Piastri
4. George Russell
5. Charles Leclerc
6. Lewis Hamilton
7. Carlos Sainz
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Nico Hulkenberg
10. Sergio Perez
11. Franco Colapinto
12. Yuki Tsunoda
13. Esteban Ocon
14. Lance Stroll
15. Zhou Guanyu
16. Valtteri Bottas
17. Pierre Gasly
18. Daniel Ricciardo – Fastest Lap
19. Kevin Magnussen – DNF
20. Alex Albon – DNF
