McLaren team principal Andrea Stella revealed the difference between McLaren and Ferrari.
Stella worked at Ferrari between 2000-2014. He was with the team during their glory days with Michael Schumacher and their more recent struggles with Fernando Alonso.
He became Team Principal at McLaren in 2023, and brought them to incredible heights. Stella and McLaren look certain to win both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships this season.
Having worked at both Ferrari and McLaren, he explained the secret behind McLaren’s recent success and Ferrari’s failures.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella says McLaren have ‘no superstars’
Stella said that McLaren’s rise to success happened faster than Ferrari’s in the early 2000s, and that’s because the team has no “superstars”.
Speaking to Auto Racer IT, he put his team’s results down to two reasons: “The pace of progress we’ve had in a couple of years is quite unique in itself, and maybe it’s even been faster than what we’ve experienced at Ferrari in the most competitive periods.
“The second is that there are no superstars. It’s like a real team journey, which also includes the drivers. I would say that these are the two main characteristics that characterise the path we are facing at McLaren.”
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
If McLaren are without superstars, that certainly isn’t the case for Ferrari who have the most famous driver in the sport in Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion has struggled with his Ferrari in the first half of the season.
Hamilton said Ferrari have everything they need to win a championship, but he has been working hard behind the scenes in order to make the necessary changes to the team. They are the sport’s most iconic brand, but have been without a Drivers’ title for the last 18 years.
McLaren, who have suffered a similarly long wait for a championship, have amended their culture after being well off the pace since Hamilton left for Mercedes.
McLaren drivers ready to lock horns in title fight
Stella says there are no superstars at McLaren, but their driver pairing is about to take centre stage in the pinnacle of motorsport after the summer break. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the two contenders for the title, and there’s barely anything in it.
Piastri looked to have the advantage over Norris. He was set to beat his teammate at the Hungarian Grand Prix and pull out to a healthy championship lead. Instead, Norris pulled off an incredible one-stop strategy and fended off Piastri for the win.
Piastri is just nine points ahead of Norris at the break, and Norris has won three of the last four races. There are 10 races to go and everything to play for.
Martin Brundle said Piastri’s composure could be the difference between the McLaren drivers as the title fight heats up. But Norris’ confidence in his car is growing as the season goes on.
Stella has helped provide them with the car, and Norris and Piastri have rewarded him by locking up the Constructors. Now they can fight it out for the title.