Andrea Stella is the man of the moment, the face of the new McLaren that in less than two seasons has gone from the back of the grid to a leading force. The Team Principal now finds himself in the role of Ferrari’s rival, a team he worked for 15 years before his move to Woking. A switch of allegiance that would likely have displeased Enzo Ferrari, but that, according to Stella, would also have stirred a sense of pride.
Mixed emotions
The topic came up during the inaugural episode of Box Box Box, Pirelli’s new vodcast dedicated to the world of Formula 1. Asked about Enzo Ferrari’s possible reaction to a former Ferrari employee leading McLaren, Andrea Stella commented: “After 15 years at Ferrari, I think his first reaction would probably be disappointment. He would say ‘What is he doing there?’ On the other hand, I think and hope that secondly, he would be a little proud that someone who grew up at Ferrari learned what I have learned and was then able to contribute to the growth of another team, which would be the reason why he would be disappointed. I believe he would be proud that Ferrari is such a great school that someone could go elsewhere and make a contribution. I think he would be divided between these two emotions.” – the Italian engineer pointed out.
Staying grounded
During the episode, the Team Principal also shared his own emotions during one of the best periods in McLaren’s recent history: “I would say it’s almost unexpected. Twelve months ago, I would never have thought I’d be talking about fighting for titles. However, this is the result of the work of a great team. Everyone at McLaren has done an incredible and high-quality job, ensuring that speed in the car allows us to fight for podiums and victories. Over the course of a season, this puts the team in a position to think about the championship, and that’s special.”
Ferrari like McLaren?
“They are less different than one might think,” explained Andrea Stella, speaking about the differences between McLaren and Ferrari. “The way you work to extract speed from the car, the logistics, the technical aspects, are all very similar to each other.”
“It’s a good feeling,” added Andrea Stella. “Our approach doesn’t change. We’ll continue to stay grounded and will try to extract more performance from the car, because we want to stay in this privileged position. If we don’t improve, others will overtake us.” – the former Ferrari race engineer concluded.
The full interview on the Pirelli vodcast is available on YouTube, at the end of a long inaugural episode that also featured Max Verstappen and Nikolas Tombazis as guests.
Leave a Reply