F1 News
Stella sees McLaren changing: 'We had not experienced for a long time'
- Sam Godber
McLaren is in a positive flow, that much is clear after the last three Grands Prix before the summer break. The English team is not content with regularly competing for the podium. McLaren wants to compete for wins and championships again. To achieve that, the top of the organisation is in the middle of a metamorphosis. Some of the newcomers are already at work in Woking, but two key people are still waiting.
Stella leads the way at McLaren
Even without David Sanchez and Rob Marshall (who come over from Ferrari and Red Bull Racing respectively in 2024), McLaren managed to make the current MCL60 much more competitive during the season. As (new) team boss, Andrea Stella obviously played a prominent role in this. He managed to put the right people in the right places, and the restructuring of the revamped team is already starting to bear fruit.
"One of my initial tasks as Team Principal was to identify what kind of organisation and functional model we needed at McLaren to be able to fulfil this objective in the shortest time. Focus was particularly on the technical area where the car is designed. It soon became very apparent to us that Peter Prodromou was the person that needed to lead Aerodynamics," Stella explains on McLaren's website.
"Peter’s leadership has been exceptional since he has been given authority over aerodynamic development and reorganisation of the department. Not only have we addressed the right areas of the car with clarity from a development point of view, but we have also restructured the department, established a new ethos, and empowered the talent, of which we are very rich at McLaren. When walking the floor in the aerodynamic department now, you can perceive the energy of that group, which is something that we had not experienced for a long time."
McLaren keeps both feet on the ground
In a similar way, the Design & Engineering department has also been working on changing its dynamics, where - according to Stella - 'competence and collaboration' are the main pillars. This department and also the just-established Performance & Concept departments will soon be led by Marshall and Sanchez, but according to the team boss, a positive vibe can already be felt.
Stella points out that technical development - driven by the positive changes in the aforementioned departments - is the most visible result of developments within McLaren. "But the reality is that throughout the entire team, everyone is stepping up and willing to play a part. We have shown what we are capable of at McLaren, but this is no reason for complacency. Conversely, this will give us additional determination to keep our feet on the ground and work on bringing our team the success McLaren deserves."