Andrea Stella says the energy of McLaren’s technical division will place the crew properly forward of the 2026 F1 season.
McLaren struggled in the beginning of the bottom results period in 2022 and had one of many slowest vehicles on the grid in the beginning of 2023. However after turning issues round and profitable back-to-back constructors’ championships, in addition to the drivers’ title this yr, Stella says there’s each purpose to consider McLaren will stay aggressive beneath the brand new laws subsequent season.
“Achievements like this are clearly the results of the expansion of your complete crew, however I want to give a particular point out to the technical crew this time,” Stella stated.
“Ultimately, the technical crew conceived, designed and developed a automobile that at first of 2023 was the ninth or tenth greatest automobile, which grew to become among the finest vehicles on the finish of 2023, then progressively grew to become the most effective automobile and positively the most effective automobile within the first half of 2025. If something, Crimson Bull gave us an necessary problem within the second half of 2025, once we had already stopped improvement for some time.”
“McLaren’s technical crew is especially sturdy and we will profit from the contributions of Peter Prodromou, Rob Marshall, Neil Holdie, Mark Ingham, Giuseppe Pesce and Mark Temple… From this attitude, I feel this is without doubt one of the strongest technical departments of my 26-year profession in F1.”
“Because of this though the main points of the present laws won’t essentially apply sooner or later, the method, requirements and method to targets from a automobile improvement and technical standpoint will proceed into the long run, which makes us optimistic for the 2026 season.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown stated he was enthusiastic concerning the problem of constructing a automobile that would win championships once more beneath the brand new guidelines, and pressured that the crew’s evolution again on the manufacturing unit shouldn’t be neglected.
“It has been a terrific quest to maneuver ahead from our authentic place, not solely on the course but additionally off the course,” Brown stated. “I feel the dedication from our shareholders, particularly from Mamtarakat, has been unbelievable from day one. All they need from us is to win, have a terrific model, and deal with our staff. And I feel we have gotten this end result as a result of we deal with our folks.”
“We have now the total help of our unbelievable sponsors, shareholders and chairman, which permits Andrea and I and the administration crew to place our heads down and get to work.
“In relation to the rulebook, that is the thrilling a part of F1. We have now to undergo it once more. We have modified a variety of vehicles this yr, so even when the principles have not modified considerably, our technical crew hasn’t been quiet.”
“And in addition to our technical crew, our management crew – the CFO, the top of human sources, the industrial crew, the top of communications, the chief of workers – all of them must do a terrific job. As a result of F1 groups have the complexity of with the ability to put the technical crew and the racing crew ready to win, so there’s a variety of work that needs to be performed behind the scenes to even present them with the instruments and sources and our folks.”
“So it is a nice achievement. We positively received it the arduous method and now we now have to start out once more. It is going to be robust as a result of the worst groups in F1 are actually good. So it is not simply driver competitors… there’s additionally crew competitors. There aren’t any extra small groups, no small groups that all of us grew up with. Everyone seems to be operating on the value cap and this sport is extremely wholesome and it is a variety of enjoyable.”
