Andrea Stella compares McLaren’s current rise to the dominant years of Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari, but points out fundamental differences between the two projects.
Andrea Stella, now the Team Principal of McLaren, knows first-hand what it means to be part of a winning Formula 1 project. He joined Scuderia Ferrari in 2000 — the same year Michael Schumacher ended a 21-year drought in the Drivers’ World Championship for the Maranello team. Stella experienced Ferrari’s golden era from the inside, first serving as a performance engineer and later as a race engineer for Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen.
It was with Kimi Räikkönen, in 2007, that Ferrari won its most recent Drivers’ Championship title.
Today, as McLaren’s leader, Andrea Stella sees both similarities and key differences compared to that period in Ferrari’s history. Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he said: “The rate of growth we have experienced in just a couple of years is unique — perhaps even faster than what I saw at Ferrari during its most competitive moments.”
During the Schumacher years, Ferrari operated like a perfectly tuned machine, powered by legendary figures such as chief designer Rory Byrne, technical director Ross Brawn, and Team Principal Jean Todt, who was widely regarded as a charismatic and authoritative leader.
For Andrea Stella, this is one of the main differences between the two success stories. “At McLaren, there are no superstars — it is a true team journey, and that includes the drivers as well,” he explained.
While Ferrari from 2000 to 2004 was built around a few central figures who acted as clear points of reference, today’s McLaren bases its progress on collective effort. There is no single protagonist; instead, the team’s rapid rise is being driven by a united group working in harmony. According to Andrea Stella, this approach allows McLaren to move forward quickly and consistently, reducing dependency on individuals and strengthening the long-term stability of the organisation.
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