What Stella has said post-qualifying when one of his drivers qualified on pole ('24-now)
Spain: praised Lando and said that they’ll have to stay focused and try to maximize a good start from pole for Lando -> “great drive by Lando, he drove qualifying faultlessly and, when it counted, put together one of the best laps of his career.”
Netherlands: mentioned it was a strong qualifying session for both drivers, but didn’t praise Lando or say that he wouldn’t win -> “A strong Qualifying session at Zandvoort with Lando and Oscar putting together competitive laps in every Quali session. The car has been performing well in the many different conditions we’ve faced this weekend. It’s well-suited to the characteristics of these kinds of tracks, like Barcelona and Hungary, but we also see the upgrades we’ve brought this weekend helped to deliver a strong performance – so a big thank you to everyone at the factory who has contributed to that effort to design, produce and deliver these. We’re now fully focused on preparation for the Dutch Grand Prix.”
Monza: didn’t say ANYTHING about Lando’s pole -> “A great result for the team in what was an extremely tight Qualifying, with only a couple of tenths between first and sixth here in Monza……. We have to work hard tonight, extract the most out of the car, and try to maximise this very strong grid position.”
Singapore: sort of praised Lando and said promising things for the race -> “A strong performance for the team overall in this Qualifying session, which confirms that the car can be competitive across many different types of circuit layouts. That’s important – not just for this event but overall, in this final quarter of the season. Lando has been putting in very strong laps all weekend and he’s taken the Pole Position he thoroughly deserved….. The car is quick, and we should put ourselves in position to achieve an important result at the Singapore Grand Prix.”
Austin: no praise, mentioned that the team have had a strong qualifying session and that both are good starting positions to bring home some important points tomorrow, no mention of the possibility of a race win -> "We’ve had a strong Qualifying session at COTA, with Lando and Oscar delivering good laps, going comfortably through Q1 and Q2, and then securing P1 and P5 on the grid. Those are good starting positions from which to bring home some important points tomorrow…. It’s going to be a tight, interesting race, in which there will be very little between ourselves, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull.”
Brazil: didn’t praise Lando for his pole, didn’t even acknowledge his pole, said that tomorrow’s favorite’s are Ferrari, still a lot of work to do to consistently in the position we are today (so doesn’t have the faith that this could turn into a win for Lando) -> "And honestly, I think tomorrow the Ferrari’s remain the favorites. Even today, none of them improved in the second attempt, so I think they left a little bit of performance on the table. We take the encouraging indications that come from this result. We remain realistic. There's still quite a lot of work ahead of us to be consistently in the position we are today." & "When you start from pole position, you go for the victory. But we know that our competitors are very strong, and we don't have to forget that Mercedes and Antonelli are not very far, and normally they are extremely fast, especially in race runs."
Abu Dhabi: didn’t praise Lando for his pole nor acknowledged it and with no mention of turning this into a win for Lando -> “A very intense Qualifying session in Abu Dhabi, with each stage being very close. It’s incredible how tight the field is at the moment, with very little to pick between the fastest and slowest cars out there. This made Q1 more difficult, and we needed to use two sets of tyres, which altered our plan for the rest of Qualifying. Lando and Oscar kept delivering good laps throughout the session, and they confirmed the potential in the car with a front-row lockout. We’re happy with the performance today but at the same time, we are aware that we haven’t scored any points yet. We will stay calm, remain focused and keep our energy levels up for the important job tomorrow. The team have done a great job so far this weekend and we’re looking forward to the race.”
Australia: didn’t praise Lando for his pole nor acknowledged it, with no mention of turning this into a win for Lando -> “A great effort by both drivers and a testament to the many men and women here at track and back in Woking who worked so hard over the winter to make a good car even stronger. Despite some tense moments, especially in the first run of Q3, both drivers maximised the potential of the car. There are certainly some cars that I think could have been much closer, and I don’t think the gaps we saw today in Quali are indicative of the field in general. Tomorrow’s forecast suggests it may be an eventful race, so we now focus on preparation for multiple scenarios we may face in the race”
Monaco: praised Lando and his quali lap record time, with no mention of turning this into a win for Lando -> “An intense and tight Qualifying session – as is often the case here in Monaco. The car was competitive throughout, with Lando and Oscar putting together strong laps. It’s a positive outcome, with the cars on the front two rows, which is important for tomorrow where the two mandatory stops are likely to make the race much more open than it has traditionally been. Well done to Lando in securing a Pole position, setting the new lap record for the Circuit de Monaco, and likewise for Oscar who was right up there all the way through Qualifying. Now, the focus goes onto tomorrow.”
Austria: praised Lando’s speed & pole, with no mention of turning this into a win for Lando -> “Lando showed the incredible speed he has throughout the session to secure a dominant Pole position with a very impressive lap.” BUT ALSO DOWNPLAYED LANDO’S POLE: “It’s a shame that we were unable to witness Oscar express his speed and contend for Pole on his final lap due to the Yellow Flag obstructing him from getting a clean attempt.” & “We now turn our focus to tomorrow’s race where we are in contention to challenge for strong Championship points with both drivers. We’re looking forward to another exciting Austrian Grand Prix."
Belgium: not really praising or mentioning Lando’s pole, no clear mention of which driver to win the race (just that the team will make sure that they are in the best position possible to finish the race with a victory) -> “The team and drivers did a great job today to come away with a double podium in this morning's Sprint and a 1-2 result in Qualifying for tomorrow's Grand Prix, with both Lando and Oscar delivering superb pace….. The weather will certainly play its part on race day, as is so often the case here in Spa, and both Red Bull and Ferrari have made improvements today which will put us under pressure from the start. The whole team will make sure we are in the best position possible to finish the weekend with a victory and more valuable points in both championships.”
Mexico: praised Lando’s pole and kinda mentioned Lando turning his pole into a win -> “It was a well-deserved Pole position lap from Lando, where he extracted maximum performance, reiterating that we have a strong car which behaved well in the conditions today…. Looking ahead to the Grand Prix, our race pace looks strong, which should help Oscar recover positions throughout. We will also focus on giving Lando a clean start as we look to maximise our points in Mexico City.”
Brazil: sort of praised Lando’s pole (together with his sprint win), no mention of turning this into a win for Lando -> “A positive day overall, even if we do have one regret. Lando continued his excellent weekend, first winning a very complicated Sprint given the track conditions and then taking Pole position in a Qualifying session where the wind made conditions tricky…. Tomorrow, it will be important to execute everything perfectly: strategy, pit stops, tyre management and all the changes in weather conditions that may occur. Today, we saw once again that there is a very tight competition and let’s not forget that on this track everything can happen: last year’s race winner started from 17th position on the grid. So, we will have to pay attention to every detail and stay focused at all times to exploit the potential we have at our disposal.”
Las Vegas: praised Lando’s pole, no mention of turning this into a win for Lando -> “Lando can be very proud of his Pole position. He drove extraordinarily well throughout the session, adapting perfectly to the grip conditions that changed lap after lap…. However, Qualifying is only the first step this weekend - the points will be awarded tomorrow evening, and we are well aware that our opponents are very strong, especially on this track."
Hungary: no praise, didn’t even acknowledge his pole, basically said that his pole didn’t matter as Ferrari will win anyways and didn’t congratulate him on his pole -> “Securing Pole position was a fantastic and somewhat surprising result for the whole team. The new upgrades we brought to the track performed exactly as we had anticipated, and this outcome is a testament to the months of relentless effort from everyone back at the factory in developing and delivering these parts. On Lando’s side, the team were able to maximise everything which enabled him to deliver a great final lap. While we will certainly aim for victory starting from the front, we remain realistic about the challenge ahead. Our competitors, especially Ferrari, have shown very strong pace all weekend, and we believe they are still the favourites for the race. We know we have more work to do to be in this position consistently, but the good news is that we are in the fight. We hope to capitalise on this opportunity and deliver a strong performance for both drivers.”
China: PRAISED him for his first pole and with no clear mention of which driver to win the race and did mention that Ferrari and Mercedes were close -> “A strong effort by the team and both drivers in Qualifying to deliver the pace we knew we had in the car, but first of all I want to congratulate Oscar on his first Grand Prix Pole. He put together a beautiful lap in Q3 after two strong sessions in Q1 and Q2, and delivered his best when it mattered most. As we expected, we have seen a very high level of competition from other teams once again. After a strong result by Ferrari this morning, Mercedes were extremely close this afternoon. Oscar and Lando have put us in a great position for the race tomorrow, which will no doubt be close and we're focused now on extracting the maximum from the car when it counts."
Bahrain: PRAISED him for his pole and with no clear mention of which driver to win the race -> “As we expected, the times were much closer in Qualifying as everyone looked to maximise what they had when it mattered. Despite this, Oscar did a great job to get his second Grand Prix Pole position and the team's first in Bahrain. Conditions could be challenging with both temperature and wind playing big factors here, along with high degradation, so we will be preparing for all the complexities the race has to offer."
Imola: PRAISED him for his pole, but did mention that Lando was in the hunt for pole but lost a little of his rhythm, no clear mention of which driver to win the race -> "Today’s Qualifying was a very tight session, which is what we expected on a fast, flowing circuit with high-speed corners. There is little to choose between McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes once again. In Suzuka and Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen had a few milliseconds’ edge on us. Here today, Oscar had a few milliseconds on Max and took a great Pole position. Lando was in the hunt for Pole, but lost a little of his rhythm on that final run where everyone is trying to find an extra tenth. It demonstrates that we still have a bit of work to do improving the feeling in the MCL39. We think we’re in a strong position with race pace for tomorrow – but we are not expecting an advantage like Miami. Here in Imola, track position will be much more important, and similar to Suzkua, we’re expecting a tight race that may be decided by small differences in strategy. It should be an exciting Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix."
Spain: praised both drivers (+ his pole lap) and with no clear mention of which driver to win the race -> “We’re pleased to come away from Qualifying with a Spanish GP front-row lockout for the first time since 1998. The team have done a great job to bring a competitive car here this weekend. Both Oscar and Lando put good laps in throughout Qualifying. On Oscar’s side, he executed a great lap and managed to get everything that was available from the car. On Lando’s side, he just lost a bit of time on the exit of a couple of corners in Q3 but was still competitive enough to secure the front-row lockout. We’ll work hard tonight to plan for tomorrow’s race. The competition are not far behind, so we need to make sure we capitalise on these good starting positions. It should be an exciting race for the fans.”
Netherlands: praised both drivers and with no clear mention of which driver to win the race -> “With just a few milliseconds deciding Pole position, both Oscar and Lando displayed solid performances in tricky conditions, driving on the limit in an extremely close session to set the two quickest-ever laps around this circuit. However, we will work to put ourselves in the best position possible to capitalise on our grid positions and start the second half of the season with a pleasing result.”
Qatar: PRAISED him for his pole, said that Lando didn’t have a perfect balance in the sprint and qualifying, with no clear mention of which driver to win the race, but mentioned the other teams -> “Oscar was perfect today, it would be difficult to ask him to do a better job, and it was great to hear him so happy on his in-lap after Pole position. Lando didn't have perfect balance in the Sprint and in Qualifying a small mistake in his last attempt in Q3 cost him the chance to fight for Pole right to the end, but once again another strong effort and he’ll be on the front row of the starting grid. There is still a lot of work to do to prepare for the race and we have no intention of making calculations, especially because our main opponent will be right behind us, ready to take his chances. As always, we will focus on ourselves to maximise our starting positions."
What I discovered by doing this research: Stella will ALWAYS praise his favorite driver when he qualified on pole, he LOVES to bring down Lando if he was in contention for pole, but made a small mistake that cost him pole (and his teammate got it), Stella will barely even praise Lando when he qualified on pole and when he does its on rare occasion and as last: when Stella praises BOTH drivers in his post-race interview LOOK OUT IN THE RACE cause something will happen!!!
