The team principal, one of the key architects behind McLaren’s extraordinary Formula 1 season in which the team secured both world titles, looks back on the journey and explains what he brought to Woking from his previous experience at Ferrari.
The 2025 season will go down in Formula 1 history for Max Verstappen’s sensational comeback and for the way McLaren returned to winning ways. The Constructors’ World Championship was secured with six races to spare, while the Drivers’ title was decided only at the final round of the season, with a margin of just two points.
“Less than 0.5 per cent,” Andrea Stella underlines. But McLaren did not simply win; it won in its own way. And it is precisely this aspect that brings the biggest smile to the team principal’s face, as one of the main architects of the Papaya team’s success.
How to build a winning team is something the Umbrian engineer learned in Maranello. “I arrived in Formula 1 with Ferrari in the early 2000s, during a period of great success. There I understood very quickly what can be achieved with the right team. That reference has stayed with me, and I try to pass it on every day to my entire team.”
A working method even before it is a philosophy, one that Andrea Stella has carried with him at every stage of his career: from his arrival at McLaren in 2015 — when he chose to follow Fernando Alonso and leave the Italian team — all the way to leading the Woking-based outfit as team principal.
What makes Andrea Stella most proud of this extraordinary season?
“You can win and you can lose. The way you do it, however, is entirely under your control. That is the aspect that makes me, as team principal, and the whole team truly proud. By giving both drivers equal opportunities, in the end we were proven right.”
What did you personally bring to Woking? The ‘Italian genius’?
“I would rather say common sense: the importance of human relationships, a clear vision of performance, and a practical philosophy aimed at protecting the team.”
What makes McLaren so special today?
“A united group. The values, the history, and a technical department like I had never seen in 26 years of Formula 1. Together with Zak Brown, we redistributed the existing technical resources: it was like a puzzle with pieces that did not fit together. We put everything on the table, reorganised it, and made the system more solid. Then we brought in key figures such as Rob Marshall, who added experience, expertise and, above all, the courage to dare.”
How rewarding is it to win the title with both drivers fighting for the World Championship?
“Success is the result of a very long journey. Twenty-four races turn the championship into a marathon: staying consistent, united and faithful to our values was as demanding as it was essential. We wanted to send a message. Winning 16 world titles means a lot, but we wanted to show that certain values still matter, that you can build a culture based on progress rather than regret.
We worked as a team and as a team we won: the drivers, the engineers, the trackside staff and the incredible technical department back in the United Kingdom.”
The value of the group…
“Today, no one can design the geometry of a single-seater on their own: times have changed. Values are fundamental if you want to build something that lasts. There is a song by Niccolò Fabi that says that building means giving up perfection. That is exactly what we did, by putting the collective interest at the centre.
It is easy, in difficult moments, to look for someone to blame, to point fingers. We did not do that — not even the drivers. Together with Zak Brown, we have built a team that shares the same philosophy: you can win while respecting everyone, on and off the track.”
The drivers have also embraced the McLaren philosophy. How difficult was that?
“The level in Formula 1 is incredibly high. This generation grows up with telemetry already on their karts. Lando Norris beat a four-time world champion: he has grown enormously, both as a person and as a driver. You only learn how to win by winning.
The constant battles with a team-mate and with a fierce competitor like Max Verstappen either make you grow very quickly or they crush you. Lando’s real turning point came last year, with crucial duels such as the one in Austria. That was when he truly started to believe he could fight Verstappen and beat him. He also learned how to isolate himself from external noise. We made technical changes specifically to help him focus on driving.”
And Oscar Piastri?
“We know that Oscar Piastri will become a world champion. He already came very close. His growth has been impressive: he went through difficult moments — from the disqualification in Las Vegas to the strategic mistakes in Qatar — without ever looking for excuses or pointing fingers. He will come back even stronger.”
2026 has already begun. What should we expect?
“Today’s results are born from the work of the entire team. I am confident in the technical quality of our racing department — the same group that built a car capable of winning the Constructors’ Championship for two consecutive years.”
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