McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted Ferrari remain a threat despite the performance gap on Friday in Qatar.

Lando Norris took pole position for the sprint race while team-mate Oscar Piastri bagged third on the starting grid.

Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen were fourth and fifth respectively as the constructors’ fight between McLaren and Ferrari heats up.

Stella outlined he is encouraged by the performance on display by McLaren on the medium compound, which will play a crucial role during both of the weekend’s races.

“P1 and P3 is certainly better than what we had in Vegas,” Stella told Sky F1. “Oscar, there was a little bit of lap time lost in his lap because effectively if we look at his best corners, he’s on par with Lando.

“It was difficult in these conditions with some wins around to put a lap together so P1 and P3 is good.

“The car has been competitive in practice and in the sprint qualifying session – especially with the medium tyres which is important for the sprint race and the [main] race.”

Ferrari currently sit 24 points down on McLaren with two rounds remaining – and Stella asserted the Woking-based squad is not slipping into any complacent mindset ahead of the final races.

“At the same time, we have to acknowledge Mercedes is in the same tenth of a second, Ferrari is very close,” he said.

“It’s not unexpected, but it’s certainly not an easy ride. It’s very compact and we have to work hard to gain the points.”