Max Verstappen and Andrea Stella debate F1 car performance gaps

Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella have expressed differing views on why performance gaps between teammates are narrowing with the current generation of cars.

Verstappen argues that the 2026-spec cars make it easier for drivers to find the limit, particularly in qualifying, which reduces the ability of a superior driver to extract a decisive advantage. He noted that margins between drivers are increasingly small, often within one or two tenths of a second. He cited recent performances by substitute drivers, such as Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, as evidence that the cars are more predictable and easier to line up.

Conversely, Andrea Stella disagrees with Verstappen’s assessment. Stella maintains that the new machinery remains exceptionally demanding to drive, challenging the notion that the cars have become easier to exploit.