Stella Stays On as Woking's Team Director

McLaren confirms Andrea Stella’s extension as team director, solidifying their leadership team.

In these times of team change announcements, McLaren F1 remains one of the most stable entities in the Formula 1 paddock. This stability is further reinforced today with the multi-year contract extension of Andrea Stella, the team’s director.

Formerly the team’s sporting director, Stella assumed the director role at the beginning of 2023, following Andreas Seidl’s departure from McLaren to join Sauber and Audi. Since then, the Italian has demonstrated strong leadership qualities as the team has become one of the best on the grid.

“It’s a privilege to be part of the McLaren team and I am honored to continue in my role as team director. We have made significant progress over the past year and a half and there is still much work to do to consistently compete at the front of the grid, which is an exciting challenge,” said Stella.

“Success comes from the team’s synergistic efforts, and I value my role, which has allowed me to help unlock individual talents and empower people to work together to achieve the team’s goals.”

“I thank Zak for his trust in me as a leader, as well as my management team and all my team colleagues for their ongoing collaboration and support. I am excited about what we can continue to achieve together.”

A “profound impact” on the team

Zak Brown, CEO of the McLaren Group and therefore the Formula 1 team, is pleased to have extended Stella’s contract: “I am thrilled to confirm that we have extended Andrea’s contract as F1 team director for several years.”

“His outstanding leadership, expertise, and the respect he commands within the team and in Formula 1 mean that we could not have a better person in place to continue our pursuit of consistently competing at the front of the grid.”

“His impact on McLaren F1 as team director has been profound, not only through our on-track results and the team’s trajectory but also in the development of our culture and mindset.”

“With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we can confidently continue our quest for world championships. We all look forward to the coming years under Andrea’s leadership.”