Lando Norris, from the McLaren Formula 1 team, in 2nd place, holding his trophy, with Oscar Piastri, from the McLaren Formula 1 team, and Andrea Stella, Director of the McLaren Formula 1 team.
The Italian Formula 1 engineer joined McLaren in 2015, after Fernando Alonso’s move from Ferrari, where he served as the Spaniard’s race engineer. Stella’s initial role at the Woking team was as Chief Race Operations Engineer. Later, in 2018, he took on the role of Performance Director and, in 2019, was promoted to Executive Racing Director. Before the 2023 F1 season, Stella replaced Andreas Seidl as Team Director.
However, McLaren CEO Zac Brown revealed that Stella’s promotion in 2018 was supposed to be to the Team Director position. Stella, however, turned down the promotion, feeling it was premature. Brown shared in an interview on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast: “He [Stella] didn’t want to be promoted, but then he got a bigger job. Even when we promoted him this time, when I called him, it wasn’t an immediate yes. It was: ‘let me reflect.’ He reflects, he’s very thoughtful.”
Brown further explained: “Even then, it was like: ‘well, tell me more and what do you think? When do you think I would be good at this?’ He looks in the mirror to see – ‘what do you think are my strengths and weaknesses?’ He felt he wasn’t ready in 2018. I thought he probably was. But certainly he has proven himself ready now.”
The decision to promote Stella has proven to be wise, as McLaren has experienced significant progress under his leadership. This was exemplified by Lando Norris’ victory in the Miami GP. Brown praised Stella’s work ethic, emphasizing his thoughtfulness, communication skills, and transparency. He described Stella as a team player who is only interested in performance.
According to Brown, Stella’s focus is solely on the races, and he remains calm in the face of distractions that other team bosses may face. Stella’s dedication is evident in his active participation in all analysis meetings, which contributes to performance and focus. Brown described Stella as an exceptional leader and praised the entire leadership team for their exemplary work in their respective departments, all striving to make McLaren a “World Championship material” team.
