Norris Credits Stella for McLaren's Remarkable Rise

Since last year’s Austrian GP tweaks, McLaren F1 has achieved a dramatic revival.

Since the modifications initiated last year starting from the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren F1’s turnaround has been nothing short of spectacular.

The team is now genuinely competing with Red Bull for poles and victories, having started the 2023 season at the back of the grid!

Andrea Stella, who has been the team director for two years, has played a significant role in this remarkable revival. But how did he manage it?

Beyond the essential technical work behind the scenes, the Italian has tried to add his managerial flair. In his own words, this would be summarised as: “Enabling teamwork – authentically, not just as a slogan.”

“Teamwork is about setting a clear direction – and everyone is keen to contribute because they feel they have a role to play. That’s what I want, to the extent that I don’t even want to put myself in the spotlight, because it’s about the team. I am someone who makes things possible.”

“I have primarily been able to unlock people’s potential. We haven’t made a significant injection of outside expertise, and the trajectory changed when we began, as we say internally, to ‘liberate the talent’.”

“Leadership is a fundamental factor. It’s rare that the problem comes from the team; it usually comes from the direction. We needed to ensure that leadership was as effective as possible.”

For example, Stella chose not to panic after Bahrain 2023, when McLaren F1 had a dismal start to the season.

“You have to help your counterparts determine if the elements they are bringing to the table are the most important. This gradually becomes, from a matter of vision and intuition, a matter of precision and expertise.”

Lando Norris praises his team director

The former performance engineer for Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, and Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, is highly regarded within his team.

Highly appreciated, starting with McLaren F1’s lead driver, Lando Norris.

“Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

“He has a keen ability to read people, knowing how to get the best out of them. 95% of the people who design this car have done so over the last five or ten years, but they have not been in the right position, with the right atmosphere and the right mindset to do so. Andrea has been able to see this, understand it, and change things to unleash people’s capabilities.”