McLaren, Andrea Stella take pride in appearance after Lando Norris triumph

Ententhusiasm skyrockets at McLaren after Lando Norris claimed his first Formula One world title in Abu Dhabi. A circuit that had been a disappointment to Andrea Stella, team principal of the papaya team. “My personal account with Abu Dhabi definitely closes with success: two to one – he stressed in an exclusive interview with ’La Gazzetta dello Sport’ -. Fernando Alonso’s defeat here in 2010 with Ferrari, when I was his track engineer, was very painful, but then came two successes. The first last year with Norris” winning the Constructors” title and the second this year with Norris” Drivers” title.

Luca Giorgetti

There was no shortage of tense moments during the Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates. “I have to say that for a moment I was in a cold sweat thinking back to 2010– he admitted -When we changed Lando’s tires to cover himself from Leclerc and Russell and he went out into traffic, for a moment I said to myself, ‘I’ve experienced this before’”. The difference, however, was made by the DRS for which Stella expressed regret: “Compared to then there is a very different factor, that of the DRS, which came into Formula 1 the following year. If it had been there then too now with Abu Dhabi we would be at three wins to zero”.

There is one aspect that makes the British team principal particularly proud: “We are not just trying to win, but we are also trying to remind ourselves what the purpose of what we do is. The legacy we want to leave is just to have won sixteen world championships?’. What is really nice for me is to be able to leave an important message, something that can be a contribution to people”. McLaren, throughout the world championship, has never given any team order: “Not to be just those who want to win but to be those who, within such a competitive sport, nonetheless think that some values are still important, and want to carry on a certain kind of culture”.

The McLaren team has never given any order to the world championship.

He then unveiled Norris’ turning point: “He learned a lot from last year’s experience, in the challenge against Verstappen, and then he grew a lot this season as well, facing difficult moments in the first part of the year, never losing heart and working hard with the team”. Stella also has no doubts about Oscar Piastri, a possible candidate for the title in 2026: “He has had impressive growth and I have been very impressed with what he has done, both on a professional level as a driver and on a personal level. He has been able to come out of moments of great pressure and has never pointed the finger at the team. This is the strength of champions”.