Stella's Leadership Spurs McLaren F1 Revival

Under Andrea Stella’s guidance, McLaren F1 has witnessed a significant turnaround, securing multiple podiums and rising in the ranks.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has praised Andrea Stella, the director of his F1 team, as the main “difference” behind the British outfit’s turnaround in Formula 1 over the past 12 months.

Stella was promoted to the helm before last season when a mutual agreement was reached for Andreas Seidl to accelerate his departure to Sauber to work on his transition with Audi F1.

The Italian admitted that McLaren would start the previous season behind, following the decision to change the concept of the MCL60 late in the development phase.

However, mid-season improvements transformed the performance of the team based in Woking, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri recording nine podiums as McLaren climbed to fourth place in the championship.

McLaren has continued on this upward trajectory at the start of the 2024 season as Norris has already secured two podiums. It is currently third in the constructors’ standings.

“The difference is Andrea Stella,” Brown stated.

“He is the team leader. He’s a great leader, he brought real clarity, underwent some restructuring, set an example, and ultimately, people turned things around.”

“It is rare for one person to have such an impact on an entire group, and I think we are all very pleasantly surprised by the quality of Andrea’s leadership. It was an excellent choice for an internal promotion, and ultimately, the best choice even considering external opportunities.”

McLaren surprised everyone in China when Norris split the Red Bull drivers to finish second on a circuit where the team had prepared to struggle.

The team will introduce significant updates in Miami, and Brown is optimistic.

“We are thrilled, the good news is that the latest updates did exactly what we thought they would, so there is no reason to believe that these will not have the same impact.”