Stella: We must be resilient and focused

McLaren have emerged as Red Bull Racing's closest rivals this season, their MCL38 arguably the fastest F1 car ever since Miami, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in contention for podiums and wins every weekend, the former winning in Miami, the latter winning in Hungary.

Both McLaren drivers will back at it, fighting Max Verstappen at his home race in Zandvoort this weekend after a well-deserved break.

Previewing the race Norris said: "I had a great time over summer break. It's always good to take some time off and focus on spending time with family and friends. I feel refreshed and ready for the final 10 races of the year.

"I'm looking forward to the Dutch Grand Prix," the Briton added. "It's a good race to start the second half of the season. There are always a lot of fans in the crowd who bring a great atmosphere to be a part of. It's also a fun circuit to drive.

"Hopefully, we can continue where we left off and continue bringing the fight for wins and podiums," Norris concluded.

Piastri added: "I'm excited to get back on track. It was great to take my mind off racing and relax, but I'm now ready to get back into action and take on the second half of the season.

"I was really happy with my driving before the break and it was good to get the win in Hungary and second place in Spa," the Aussie claimed. "I'm looking forward to getting back in the car in Zandvoort as it's always a good race weekend, especially with cool characteristics like the steep banking.

"I'll be working hard to keep on improving my position in the championship," Piastri concluded.

As for Stella, he rallied his troops for the season restart as McLaren are gunning for the 2024 F1 Constructors' Crown which they still have a chance to snatch from Red Bull, unlike the Drivers' Title which seems to be Verstappen's to lose, unless something out of the ordinary happens.

Stella said: "With two weeks of shutdown over, we now return to racing with renewed energy. The Dutch fans always create a great atmosphere, which we can't wait to experience once again.

"Zandvoort is a short, technical circuit, which poses a very different challenge to Spa or Monza," he added. "This weekend marks the start of a very busy period, with four races in five weeks.

"To ensure we maximise the opportunities ahead of us, we must be resilient, focused and work together closely as a team to extract maximum performance," Stella, who recently renewed his McLaren contract, concluded.

McLaren are second in the 2024 F1 Constructors' Championship, 42 points behind Red Bull.