Andrea Stella has been granted a “multi-year” extension to his contract as McLaren crew principal, the Components 1 crew introduced on Thursday.
Stella has led McLaren’s F1 squad since taking up from Andreas Seidl on the finish of 2022.
In that point, McLaren has leapt up the F1 pecking order because of a sequence of huge improve packages, with the crew taking two wins this season, in addition to an additional 18 podiums for the reason that begin of 2023.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Components 1 crew, and I’m honoured to proceed in my position as crew principal,” Stella stated in a McLaren crew assertion.
“We’ve made nice strides ahead up to now yr and a half and we nonetheless have much more work to do to persistently combat on the entrance of the grid, which poses an thrilling problem.
“Success comes via the crew working in synergy, and I’m having fun with my position, which has allowed me to assist unlock particular person expertise and empower individuals to work collectively in direction of our crew’s goals.
Andrea Stella, Staff Principal, McLaren F1 Staff, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Staff, Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, speak after the race
Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“My thanks go to Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO] for his confidence in me as a frontrunner, to my whole management crew and all my colleagues within the crew, for his or her continued collaboration and help.
“I’m excited for what we are able to proceed to attain collectively.”
Stella joined McLaren in 2015 after an extended profession at Ferrari, the place he labored as a efficiency engineer for Michael Schumacher and later grow to be race engineer for Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
Earlier than being promoted to crew principal, the Italian labored as McLaren’s head of race operations, efficiency director and government director, racing from 2019 to 2022.
He has gained a status within the paddock for thorough explanations to the media, in addition to loyally backing his employees and drivers – notably after Lando Norris’s collision with Max Verstappen within the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
Stella’s new contract follows Norris and Oscar Piastri signing long-term offers to race with McLaren in latest months.
Andrea Stella, Staff Principal, McLaren F1 Staff
Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“I’m delighted to substantiate we’ve prolonged Andrea’s contract as our F1 crew principal for a number of years,” Brown stated.
“His wonderful management, experience and the respect he holds inside the crew and Components 1 means we couldn’t have a greater particular person in place to proceed the pursuit of persistently preventing on the entrance of the grid.
“His impression on McLaren F1 in his position as crew principal has been profound, not solely via our outcomes on observe and the trajectory of the crew but in addition in his growth of our tradition and mindset.
“With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we are able to confidently proceed on our quest to grow to be world champions.
“We’re all trying ahead to the years to come back below Andrea’s management.”
