A detail-orientated leader, but with a focus on the big picture, Andrea Stella's promotion to Team Principal in December 2022 had been a long time in the works.

The Italian's roles, responsibilities and value to McLaren have grown since he first arrived in 2015 as Head of Race Operations, having followed Fernando Alonso from Ferrari, where he had been his Race Engineer. Andrea spent three years in that role before a promotion to Performance Director in 2018, and, Executive Director, Racing, in 2019, forming a key part of what was a three-pronged leadership team, alongside James Key and Piers Thynne.

With more than two decades of F1 experience behind him, Andrea is no stranger to the paddock. The Italian is an Aerospace Engineering graduate from the Sapienza University of Rome. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and began his F1 career as a Performance Engineer with Ferrari, initially in the test team before promotion to the race team as part of Michael Schumacher's side of the garage in 2002.

Winning three F1 World Championships in five years, Stella contributed to a hugely successful period for the Italian outfit, working within a pressurised environment with a winning mentality. He continued in the same role when Kimi Räikkönen joined and won the Drivers' title in 2007, before becoming his Race Engineer in 2009. He then spent five years as Fernando Alonso's Race Engineer at Ferrari – with whom he formed a particularly strong bond – coming within a whisker of winning the title in 2010 and 2012.

In his time with McLaren, Andrea has played a key role in our journey back to the front of the grid in each of his roles with the team. Since being promoted to Executive Director, Racing in 2019, the team hasn’t finished lower than fifth in the Constructors’ standings, the highlight of which was our strongest finish since 2012, with third in 2020. He was also a member of the team who oversaw Daniel Ricciardo's win in 2021 – our first since 2012 - which was Andrea's 92nd in F1 in total.

Since stepping into the role of Team Principal, this journey has accelerated rapidly. In 2023, McLaren enjoyed what was arguably one of Formula 1’s greatest turnarounds of form after the team overhauled the design of our race car. The team began the season at the back of the field, but ended it as one of the most consistent on the grid, with seven podiums in eight races, finishing fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Andrea and his team have built on this in 2024 by challenging for the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championships. The Italian re-affirmed his commitment to the project at McLaren by penning a fresh multi-year contract ahead of the summer break, following a fruitful first half of the season that included two poles, two Grand Prix wins and 10 further podiums.