'Buzz of winning disturbs our mindset', admits McLaren F1 boss
F1
McLaren's F1 car keeps getting faster and faster, with both its drivers now GP winners, and the team closing on Red Bull in the constructors' championship. But boss Andrea Stella tells Edd Straw that success could easily be short-lived
Can McLaren overtake Red Bull as the new F1 top dog?
Despite a slow start to the 2024 campaign, McLaren has now hit a title-contending stride.
In the last 12 F1 grands prix, the Woking outfit has secured 10 podium finishes; Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both won their world championship races; and the team now occupies a firm second in the constructors’ standings – trailing Red Bull by just 42 points.
With half a season of racing still left to run, it’s highly likely McLaren could reel in its Milton Keynes rivals and claim a first F1 world title in 16 years. But as legendary commentator Murray Walker once stated: “Catching is one thing, passing is quite another”.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is seemingly well aware of the phrase, as in this month’s magazine the Italian warns that just because his side have managed to catch up to the performance level of Ferrari and now Red Bull, it does not mean it will now lead the pack for the rest of the season.
“Over the last 12 months we have been able to deliver performance trackside at a faster rate than our competitors,” he says. “That means we’ve been able to catch up with the best teams on the grid. But there is no guarantee or technical reason that means you will continue with this gradient.”
McLaren currently possess F1’s fastest car, but it won’t last forever
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Performance differences between the top teams has tightened up massively as the 2024 season has unfolded, with now as many as eight drivers from four different constructors (Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes) all in realistic contention for victory at almost every race weekend.
Since applying significant car upgrades in Miami – which subsequently allowed Norris to claim his first race victory – McLaren have been on the front-foot of performance more often than not, but according to Stella, the team’s explosive resurgence could be expected to slow for a number of reasons.
“First of all, because you get started on the back foot you might have had more opportunities [to improve],” he explained. “There was nothing wrong with the car, but it was underdeveloped so we accelerated development in many areas of the car and this has led us to close up with a faster, steeper gradient. You are not necessarily going to continue this momentum in the future in a way that guarantees you will overtake them.
“Secondly, we are not familiar with this position. Red Bull have done such a good job with material [it has]. They won when other cars were in condition to win because they are familiar with and well-equipped to deal with being at the top and maximising what they have.”
Norris and McLaren have had several near-misses already in 2024
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The effects of the latter point have already began to surface, as on numerous occasions already this year, McLaren has let victory slip away.
In Canada, Norris passed both George Russell and Max Verstappen to establish a dominant lead in the early stages of the grand prix. But a mid-race strategy error ultimately meant he finished second.
At the following race in Spain, Norris once again set the pace — as he qualified on pole a tenth ahead of Verstappen — but lost out in the drive down to Turn 1 and was unable to overturn the deficit.
Then came the Briton’s controversial clash with Verstappen in Austria, where he suffered a race-ending puncture while duelling the Dutchman for the race lead – although Piastri was promoted into second as a result.
At Silverstone, the McLaren pairing was in a prime position to secure two steps on the podium, but for the second time in just four races, strategy errors meant Norris had to settle for third, while Piastri finished fourth. Both drivers, at one stage, had led the race.
Stella suggests that these mistakes, in part, are down to the team’s competitive form, and that it is considering how to adapt to the new situation.
“We have the buzz and energy from good results but this also disturbs our attitude and mindset compared to when we were the clear underdogs and under the radar,” he emphasises.
“It was difficult because we were not competitive, but ultimately a mistake was less costly than it is now when you may lose a podium finish of a race victory. There’s some challenges with being in this position and there’s reflection ongoing.” People are thinking, ‘Do we have to change what we do?’
Every mistake now costs precious ground in the championship standings
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Since its last F1 world title with Lewis Hamilton in 2008, McLaren has struggled to find regular form and for a number of years has been contained to the midfield.
Its climb back to the front has been a slow and painful process, and now Stella is charged with making the final step from front-runner into championship winner.
Shortly after the start of the summer break, Stella extended his contract with the Woking outfit – with a keen eye on returning one of F1’s most legendary constructors to the top of the leaderboards. Should it miss out in 2024, the Italian is already concentrating answering the big questions required for success in the seasons to come.
“There’s a constant process of reassessing where you are and what you want head in the future, what do you carry of what you have done before and what might you have to update,” he says. “We need to approach this actively rather than passively, so we’re definitely talking internally about our attitude.
“What’s our attitude to 2025, 2026? Where are we doing to put our resources? Is a short-term investment [for ’25] a long-term investment technically because while it won’t be relevant for ’26, we’re growing our expertise.
“These are the reflections you need to consolidate the momentum and continue the trajectory.”
Read the full, exclusive, inside story of McLaren’s F1 revolution in the September 2024 issue of Motor Sport
