Will Hamilton win in Spielberg too? Here’s what McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has to say

In Barcelona, the Ferrari team had every reason to celebrate once the chequered flag had been waved. Lewis Hamilton was the first to cross the finish line. It was his first Grand Prix victory in red, and the 106th of the seven-time world champion’s career. For Ferrari, it was their 249th Grand Prix triumph – a victory that had been a long time coming. Prior to that, the world’s oldest Grand Prix team had had to make do with podium finishes for over a year, as no Ferrari driver had stood on the top step of the Grand Prix podium since Carlos Sainz’s victory in Mexico in 2024.

Team principal Fred Vasseur explained, following the euphoric celebrations at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, that nothing had fundamentally changed and that the team was still a long way from thinking about their World Championship chances in the constructors’ and drivers’ standings. “We must keep our cool,” the Frenchman cautioned.

In fact, the gaps are still substantial: In the constructors’ standings, the Scuderia trail leaders Mercedes by 72 points; in the drivers’ championship, Kimi Antonelli – who was forced to settle for a zero-point finish in Barcelona through no fault of his own – leads the championship by 41 points ahead of Hamilton.

Andrea Stella’s Spielberg favourites

That could change as early as the next round of the World Championship, because if McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is to be believed, the GP cars from Maranello have a very special strength. In the Barcelona paddock, the engineer from the long-established British team explained: “Austria is a slightly different track to Barcelona.”

However, the 55-year-old Italian added in the same breath: “I do, however, expect Ferrari to remain the fastest car through the corners.” He also praised another of his team’s main rivals: “Over a single lap, Mercedes is probably the best car overall, taking into account both the chassis and the power unit.”

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