Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, discusses the team's turnaround in form, the culture he's creating at McLaren, and his experience with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. He also highlights Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's strengths, gives insights into the Papaya outfit in 2024, and much more.
McLaren's remarkable turnaround in 2023 was attributed to a significant technical restructure and a new direction for car development, focusing on delivering performance projects in multiple areas of the car to generate overall improvements.
Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, emphasizes the importance of continuity, seniority, trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement in building a successful team.
Deep dives
McLaren's turnaround in 2023
McLaren had a remarkable turnaround in 2023, going from zero points in the first few races to scoring 145 points in the next eight races. The team attributed this success to a significant technical restructure and a new direction for car development. The MCL60 is now the second fastest car at many races. The team's approach focused on delivering performance projects in multiple areas of the car to generate overall improvements. The team is looking forward to continued development and competitiveness in 2024.
Lando Norris's improvement and potential
Lando Norris has shown continuous improvement and ambition year on year. He has developed an impressive race craft and has become one of the top drivers in Formula One. His mindset of continuous improvement and his ability to adapt to different car characteristics have contributed to his success. Despite not yet winning a race, Norris's natural speed and increasing race craft make him a potential contender. The team acknowledges the importance of providing him with a competitive car to capitalize on his qualities.
Oscar Piastri's talent and learning curve
Oscar Piastri's success in junior categories and his natural speed have impressed McLaren. He has shown particular skill in high-speed corners and demonstrates a keen awareness of opportunities for improvement. Although he is still a rookie, Piastri is a quick learner and constantly self-aware, making him an exceptional talent. In his first year, Piastri has shown promising performance, and with continued development and experience, he has the potential to achieve great success.
Andrea Steller's management approach and lessons from Ferrari
Andrea Steller, McLaren's team principal, emphasizes the importance of continuity and seniority in building a successful team. He draws on lessons learned from his time at Ferrari, where he witnessed the quality and seniority of the people involved, led by Luca de Montezemolo and Michael Schumacher. Steller believes in creating a culture of trust and collaboration, where personal relationships and motivation play key roles. He emphasizes the need to be comfortable with discomfort and highlights the importance of continuous improvements, adaptability, and understanding the competitive advantage. Steller's management style focuses on teamwork and providing the team with the resources necessary to succeed.
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Andrea Stella’s first season as McLaren Team Principal has been pretty phenomenal when you compare their start to the season to where they are now.
After finishing outside of the points in five of the first eight races, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are now fighting for podiums almost every week.
So how have they produced such an incredible turnaround in performance? Stella provides Tom Clarkson with a revealing insight into the culture he’s creating at McLaren, and how his experience of winning World Championships with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari can help him make the team a winning machine.
Hear why he describes Schumacher as the ‘emotional engine’ during their time together, what made Ferrari so dominant back then, and why they weren’t able to repeat that success with Fernando Alonso later on.
Plus, Stella tells us Norris and Piastri’s greatest strengths, what fans can expect from the Papaya outfit in 2024, and much more.
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