Paris Soir - No need for 'a wake-up call' says McLaren boss Stella

"We didn't need any wake-up call, because we were not sleeping," Stella told a press-conference at the Bahrain International circuit on Friday.

"And certainly, we were not dreaming," he continued.

"We were wide awake knowing that if we don't capitalise on the performance of the car, then we will be beaten.

"And if we capitalise, we may win but by a very small margin."

McLaren prised the constructors title away from Red Bull last season and Lando Norris is favourite to stymie Verstappen's quest for a fifth successive world drivers title in 2025.

Norris won the season-opener in Melbourne, with teammate Oscar Piastri following up in China.

But the pair were thwarted by Verstappen at Suzuka, a win that came on the back of one of Verstappen's best-ever qualifying performances to grab pole.

Victory left the Dutch ace just one point behind Norris in the standings going into this weekend's fourth race of the season in Bahrain.

The British marque enjoy a healthy early lead in the defence of their constructors' crown.

But Stella dismissed the notion of 'McLaren dominance' as other teams making mischief.

"I hear talk about dominance sometimes from our competitors," he said.

"Everyone knows how to put pressure or attempt to put pressure on the rivals.

"But we are very grounded people. We are very tough.

"When we get this kind of thing, we know that we have to work hard to exploit the potential of the MCL39."

That said, the 54-year-old Italian acknowledged McLaren are strong this season.

"The MCL39 is certainly a competitive car - it's faster than last year's car that was already fast and reliable.

"Having said that, I think the margins are very small.

"So I think we have to be quite realistic as to the situation in terms of performance."

D.Petit--PS