Does McLaren boss Andrea Stella think they can beat Ferrari in Japan?

Andrea Stella says McLaren has made encouraging progress at Suzuka, and discusses if the team can fight Ferrari for a podium finish

McLaren team chief Andrea Stella has discussed the possibility of the Woking outfit challenging Ferrari for a spot on the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix.

After a disastrous start to the season, which resulted in only one grand prix start from Lando Norris at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, McLaren saw a step forward at the Suzuka circuit.

Oscar Piastri, who is yet to start a grand prix in 2026, qualified in third for the race, and Norris secured a fifth-place start.

"There are some indications of progress from a performance and overall competitiveness point of view," Stella told Sky Sports F1. "I think this progress comes from the fact we are getting a little bit more out of the chassis and set-up, but mostly we are getting more out of the power unit.

"We have always talked about how difficult it is with this new generation of power unit to exploit but we are getting more familiar with it, calibrating better with our HPP [Mercedes] engineers and this is rewarded by cashing in some lap time.

"Having said that, it's positive in qualifying we are there with Ferrari but they are still one step ahead."

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

While the team has made a step forward for this weekend, Stella admitted he would be "surprised" if they could challenge Ferrari for a podium finish. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are due to start the Japanese Grand Prix from fourth and sixth on the grid.

"Ferrari have shown they gained some relative pace in the race. I would be positively surprised that we are in condition to compete with Ferrari for podiums," Stella continued.

"We have seen progress this weekend, so definitely we will be there. It's also racing, anything can happen. We will have a go at the podium but we know we need to improve the car, and, above all, bring some upgrades. That's the plan for the following race.

"Then, we can more steadily fight for the podium, and hopefully later in the season, the victory."