McLaren CEO Zak Brown has praised the efforts of team principal Andrea Stella, stating that the Italian engineer is the 'secret weapon' behind McLaren's recent success.
Stella spent over 14 years at Ferrari before jumping ship to McLaren in 2015, with the Italian going through several different roles, including head of race operations and performance director before becoming team principal ahead of the 2023 season.
Speaking to Sky Sports after securing a 1-2 finish at the Shanghai International Circuit, Brown said: “What it might look like on paper… the team did a great job with strategy, once again I think we’ve shown we’ve got the best driver line-up, and then our real secret weapon is to my left, the best team principal in F1."
Lando Norris (Left) and Oscar Piastri (Right) wave to fans after McLaren's 1-2 in China
Drivers doing "outstanding job"
McLaren's sudden transition from the lower-midfield at the start of 2023 to championship winners in 2024 is down to multiple factors. Driver synergy is one of them, as Brown pointed out.
“The drivers get along great and have done such an outstanding job; they came back from the winter so focused on themselves, on the team, technically understanding what we’ve done with the car. They’re just both at the top of their game and it’s great to see how great they’re both doing.”
But keeping his feet on the ground, Brown added: “I think we’ve got to go into every weekend knowing that there are four teams that can win – it’s great that we’re one of them. We’re historically good in Japan. It’s a great circuit.
“F1, I think what we have predicted is this is going to be an epic season, and I think that’s what we’re starting to see.”
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