17 April 2026 18:00 (UTC)
“It may take time, but we have everything it takes to succeed once again”
While we’d never want an extended gap between races, the enforced break has at least allowed the team to catch their breath following a shorter off-season and an earlier-than-usual start to what has already been an intense campaign.
As well as providing crucial recovery time, the break has offered an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the MCL40 and the new regulations. Extra time on the simulator and in engineering meetings has helped ensure a productive and well-spent April.
With just two weeks to go before F1 engines fire back into life at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, we caught up with Team Principal Andrea Stella to discuss what he has learned from the opening three rounds, the reasons behind our early struggles, and the progress made in Japan. We also reflect on the development work underway on the MCL40, as well as the upcoming arrival of GianPiero Lambiase from Red Bull, and what this means for the team’s leadership structure.
I agree that the first part of the season presented some challenges, essentially for two reasons. The first is that it took longer than expected to learn how to harness the full potential offered by the power unit. Furthermore, we suffered from various reliability issues in this area, which not only had a significant impact on results but also on the pace of our learning process. The second is that the design phase of the MCL40 was affected both by the fact that we continued to fight for the Championship right up to the final race in 2025 and by a different approach to design. Specifically, we wanted to make sure that the launch spec of the car was a healthy platform for development. As we know, there is a long way to go with the new 2026 regulations. These, in short, are the reasons why we found ourselves trailing behind rivals such as Mercedes and Ferrari, who arrived better prepared than us at the first round of the season.
If this is the ‘dark’ side, there were many ‘bright’ aspects. The first, let me say, is represented by the character shown by the team and the drivers, in line with what we saw in 2025 when we won both titles. Once again, we have faced the difficulties in a united and cohesive manner, both internally and with our partners at Mercedes HPP. In addition, we have seen in Suzuka the first signs of progress, where we secured our first podium of the season thanks to Oscar’s second place. In the background, we have also noticed that the development rate of the car looks very promising. There is still work to be done on reliability and on optimising performance, but I believe we have taken a step in the right direction.
There has certainly been the chance to work in a more consistent and linear manner. Moreover, our winter plans had already established that the May races in North America – first in Miami and then in Montreal – would see the introduction of the first upgrades of the car from its original version, which has essentially been on track since the Bahrain tests.
We plan to introduce a comprehensive package of aerodynamic solutions, which will be phased in between the two Grand Prix events. It will certainly not be straightforward to introduce them over two Sprint weekends, given the limited time available for any comparative testing with just one hour of Free Practice each weekend, but we are confident that what we bring to the track should deliver the performance we expect.
Saying that, the other 10 teams have also had the same opportunity to work on developing their packages. I don’t expect there to be any revolutionary shifts in the pecking order, but we aim to reduce the performance gap to the frontrunners in the coming races, whilst also capitalising on the continuous progress made in exploitation of the power unit thanks to the work carried out alongside Mercedes HPP. I’m really keen to get to Miami and start finding out who has done their homework best.
No, it wasn’t a surprise because we were fully aware of how much the regulatory changes would essentially reset the competitive order between the teams. I tried to summarise earlier the reasons for this start characterised by highs and lows, linked to the utilisation of the power unit and the strategic choices made during the design phase. Now, we are capitalising on the choices made in the design phase and we hope to see the results in Miami and in Montreal.
At the same time, we must not forget that we are a customer team, competing against works teams who are supported by some of the biggest manufacturers, in one of the most competitive sports in the world. It was a plausible scenario at the outset that those who had the opportunity to design both the car and the power unit simultaneously might have an advantage, especially in the early stages of a new regulatory framework.
The choice not to be a works team has its pros and cons, but McLaren’s results over the last two years demonstrate that even a customer team can win, not just races but also Championships. We have already seen in recent times, thinking of 2023 or 2024, that we are capable of developing the car to a level sufficient to make up for even very significant performance deficits. It may take time, but we have everything it takes to succeed once again as a customer team.
First of all, let me say that I’m very pleased with how Oscar and Lando are working, both with the team and with each other. They’ve been teammates for over three years now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a relaxed atmosphere between them - it is never a given with teammates in this sport.
Oscar in particular, who was coming off a rather complicated end to last season and has started this one with two setbacks [in Australia and China] that could have left a lasting impact, is demonstrating a maturity and a desire to continue growing as a driver and as a man that has really impressed me. Ever since the tests, he has shown an ever-improving quality of driving that has always been one of his strengths.
As for Lando, becoming World Champion and fulfilling his childhood dream hasn’t changed him in the slightest, which is very important, both for him and for the team.
From the drivers’ perspective, we know we can continue to count on a pairing that is not only extremely strong individually but also as team players. This has always been a crucial requirement of the philosophy that Zak and I have pursued over the years. We have demonstrated through our results that you can win this way too, by letting the two drivers compete freely against each other. Now, we’re showing that we can continue to work in harmony even after one of them has won the world title.
My view is the same, whether I’m speaking in my role as head of the reigning World Champion team or as someone who has always been passionate about motor racing and who has been fortunate enough to find in motorsport the environment to grow professionally. We are well aware, as Stefano Domenicali reminded us once again in recent days, of how we arrived at the new regulations and how necessary this power unit architecture was to ensure the participation of some of the biggest car manufacturers in Formula 1.
The car regulations were then defined around this PU architecture, with the aim of making the cars lighter and more manoeuvrable, while always bearing in mind two imperatives: ensuring maximum safety and preserving the great racing spectacle we have witnessed in recent years.
For almost four months now, we have been seeing the fruits of a highly complex conceptual effort. It is complex for the teams, for the drivers and also for the fans. In assessing these first few months of the new season and regulations, we must think objectively. If we look first and foremost at the data, we cannot deny that the fans’ reaction has been positive overall, with average approval ratings for the first three races higher than in 2025, not to mention the three sell-outs recorded in Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka. Television audience figures are also very encouraging, with overall increases all in double figures, between 20 and 30%, as reported to us by F1.
At the same time, and as we at McLaren have highlighted since the very first tests, there are areas that can be improved to make the rules even better and more effective. Meetings are currently taking place between all parties involved, including the drivers who are, ultimately, the stars of this sport, with the aim of determining, under the guidance of the FIA, what and how things can be improved. I am thinking, for example, at how we can ensure that driving ‘flat-out’ in Qualifying is something properly rewarding for the drivers, but also looking at things with the perspective of safety at how we can make starts and close racing safer.
Next Monday, we will meet with the FIA and F1 to decide how to implement these potential adjustments. In any case, the sense of responsibility and spirit of collaboration that everyone is demonstrating represent the best response that Formula 1 can give at this moment.
GianPiero’s arrival will add a great amount of expertise and potential to the team for the long term. At the same time, it is further confirmation of how attractive McLaren has become to the best talents in Formula 1. This credibility we have gained is the result of the hard work done by all men and women who have worked at McLaren over recent years to build a culture that allows people to grow and contribute to the common goal, in a healthy and enjoyable environment. On top of McLaren’s results on the track and the team’s ethos perceived in the right way from the outside, I am convinced contributed to GianPiero deciding to join us.
GianPiero’s arrival is the classic icing on a cake that already has all the right ingredients in the first place. For me, he will be a key support, filling the role of Chief Racing Officer, a position I currently hold alongside my role as Team Principal. Together with Zak, we have always worked over the past three years to ensure the continuity over the long term in terms of leadership and expertise. This is particularly true for certain key roles, like positions in the race team. It is above all in this area that the expansion of the calendar has had significant consequences in terms of personal commitment and quality of life.
Today’s Formula 1 is very different from when I started my career, over 20 years ago. The size of a top team has more than doubled; just consider that our workforce has grown by over 20% in numerical terms over the last three years. Today, we have reached a size that is compatible with the constraints imposed by the budget cap and functional to the objective to deliver the level of performance required to succeed.
The role of Team Principal has also become more complex. Zak and I have built a flat team structure, in which it is essential to ensure all leaders are properly empowered, but at the same time, we must guarantee there is always the necessary level of long-term support. It goes without saying that, with this approach, the dual role I currently hold could not be sustainable in the long run.
Honestly, some of the recent rumours, including those regarding astronomical salaries and mythical pre-contracts, have made me smile. It almost seems as though the ‘silly season’, which usually begins before summer, has arrived early! I’m quite used to this sort of thing by now and I take with a smile. It almost looks like that some envious pastry chef has tried to spoil the preparation of a good dessert at the McLaren patisserie. However, we do know very well how to distinguish the good ingredients from the poisoned biscuits....
