Rarely do other teams have the pace to meaningfully bother the McLaren pair, especially on race day.<\/p>\n
According to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella<\/a>, however, Ferrari could become a thorn in the team’s side over the final 10 rounds.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the year, there were moments where various teams emerged as potential dangers for McLaren to contend with.<\/p>\n Initially it was Max Verstappen<\/a> who presented the biggest obstacle for McLaren, doing enough in the first quarter of the season to stay within striking distance of Piastri and Norris.<\/p>\n Until the technical directive at the Spanish GP, there was still a genuine belief that Verstappen could fight to retain his crown.<\/p>\n Mercedes<\/a> and Ferrari<\/a>, meanwhile, have shown flashes of strong performance.<\/p>\n Whilst never faster than McLaren, both teams – especially Mercedes in the hands of George Russell – have been ready to pick up the pieces when Norris or Piastri faulter.<\/p>\n Overall though, McLaren’s advantage over the field is still significant.<\/p>\n In a bid to prevent complacency, however, Andrea Stella believes Ferrari will present a real challenge until the season ends:<\/p>\n “I\u2019m not surprised, because Ferrari have been competitive over the last few races,” <\/em>he said in Hungary.<\/p>\n “They were competitive in the dry in Silverstone, they were competitive in Belgium. Somehow, this wasn\u2019t expressed fully.<\/em><\/p>\n “I think we saw [in Hungary] that they were in condition to score the Pole Position.<\/em><\/p>\n “And it\u2019s not like in the first stint [on race day] we were holding back.<\/em><\/p>\n “We were trying to go as fast as possible, and Leclerc was managing the lead of the race with some degree of control.<\/em><\/p>\n “I think Ferrari [are] going to be a contender for victories for the remainder of the season.”<\/em><\/p>\n The topic of ‘papaya rules’ has been relatively common during 2025, with McLaren consistent in the rules of engagement between their drivers.<\/p>\n Ultimately, McLaren’s primary instruction is for Piastri and Norris to avoid making contact with each other.<\/p>\n This has only happened so far in Canada, although – ironically – Norris crashing out helped the team mitigate any fallout from the incident, since the Briton paid the price for his own error<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the future, however, any incidents between the McLaren duo might be more difficult to manage.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/08\/2213418388-1024x683.jpg\")
Stella argues Ferrari still a threat to McLaren<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/08\/2220110303-1-1024x683.jpg\")
‘Papaya rules’ to end the season<\/h4>\n