F1 | Stella: “To challenge Verstappen, McLaren doesn't copy Red Bull”

When Andrea Stella was promoted to the role of team principal, McLaren had to make one of the most difficult decisions for a team: reject a project and start from scratch. Twelve months after the presentation of the 2023 single-seater, much more time seems to have passed, today McLaren is heading to the starting line of the world championship with ambitious objectives.
“A year ago we wanted to hide!”, admitted Zak Brown at the presentation of the 2024 livery, then left the floor to Stella, who took stock of the long-awaited MCL38 project that we will see in less than a month.

The team principal went further, explaining what the team expects from the Norris-Piastri tandem and how he sees the evolution of this generation of single-seaters, which according to Stella will not necessarily have to be copies of the Red Bull.

If you compare where the team was twelve months ago and where you are now, how different is the scenario?
“At the beginning of 2023 we were coming from a difficult situation. The first numbers we had seen from the project were not encouraging, we knew that we would have to make a radical change to the concept of the car because we would not go very far in terms of aerodynamic development. So a year ago we were very cautious with our declarations. Today I can say that we are in a much more linear situation, we still don't know what we can aim for because we obviously need confirmation of the track, but we have certainly been able in every area to continue to generate good ideas and have good interactions. We are definitely in a better position.”

The project seems to be the logical evolution of the car seen in the second half of 2023, but there is no shortage of innovations from a resource point of view. How much has work changed?
“The preparation so far has been relatively fluid, in the meaning that the term 'fluid' has in Formula 1, i.e. pushing everything until the last minute. So far we are on track. It was a very interesting job also because we integrated the new infrastructure which was completed in 2023, so we can say that the MCL38 was developed entirely in the MTC wind tunnel starting from September.”

Photo by: McLaren

McLaren's new livery

“The new simulator was also used, while the parts made of composite materials were produced in a new infrastructure. In this general scenario it is really exciting to see the 2024 season approaching. Regarding the new resources, from January 2nd they joined the group also Rob Marshall and David Sanchez, who had the opportunity to start looking at both the project and the way we work. We hope that all these ingredients will contribute to making our team more competitive.”

What will Marshall and Sanchez bring to the working group?
“In terms of organizing the technical team, they are actually filling roles that were already there. The structure has always been with three technical directors, one who works on the aerodynamics, Peter Prodromou, one who works on the concept which is David Sanchez, and then the engineering and design which translates all the ideas generated on the aerodynamic front into parts for the single-seater. Now we have filled all the positions with David and Rob.”

“Definitely what we can see in the first two weeks is that the new arrivals bring knowledge and I'm not surprised by this aspect. They have been part of great teams working on great projects, and the good thing is that we have already seen that Their knowledge complements the direction we had already taken. This was quite 'refreshing' in a way. We also had the chance to appreciate their personal approach, they engaged people in fascinating technical conversations.”

“Then, speaking in a more practical way, we must think that at this moment we have a car that is starting to compete in the 2024 season but we are already laying the foundations for how to evolve the project in view of 2025, and in addition a further project will start for the 2026 season with completely new technical regulations. So there is really a lot of work, I think it is very important for us to have these high profile professionals leading the respective technical areas, because it means that we have the capacity and the competence to tackle three big projects in the correct way”.

What goal have you set yourself on the eve of a season that promises to be very challenging?
“Suspension, tire management, aerodynamics, are all areas that still have a lot to offer with this generation of regulations. We are looking at everything very carefully, we know we have opportunities to improve performance, and that is what is reflected in the numbers.”

“We need to see these numbers go up, and right now that's what we're seeing in development, but it's a slightly different story when it comes to competitiveness on the track, because it depends on what the opponents have done. When we think specifically about Red Bull, There is one element that puts everything in doubt about what will happen in 2024, and that is the fact that they haven't developed their car much, so the question is: will they capitalize on the work on the 2024 car?”.

“I can't think that last season Red Bull wasn't in a position to develop their single-seater, they probably decided not to make many updates to focus their energy on the new project. I expect an extremely competitive Red Bull, but we'll soon see that type of challenge we will be able to throw on the track.”

We expect to see cars that are very similar to each other and, above all, very close to the Red Bull concept. Do you think it will be like this?
“In terms of the shape of the cars I don't know, but in all honesty there seems to be a tendency towards convergence when it comes to certain types of geometry. At the same time I believe that a lot of the performance is in the details, Red Bull does a good job not only in the shape of the car but also in many details which are very important. The best air pressure range around your car can be achieved with solutions that can vary a lot in terms of the macroscopic appearance of the car, so I don't think everything will converge or be modeled on the Red Bull shapes. Our performance development appears to be in line with what was defined last year, a work that began with the updates brought to Austria and Singapore”.

You have a highly rated tandem of pilots. How do you think the relationship between Lando and Oscar will develop in 2024?
“Their relationship is a strong point of the team. I must say that being Lando's teammate is pleasant, we have already seen how it worked with Carlos (Sainz) and Daniel (Ricciardo), so we must recognize Lando's abilities in knowing how to establish a constructive relationship that benefits the team and both pilots.”

“Oscar also has a similar attitude, he has grown a lot and we can see that a very functional collaboration has now been created between him and Lando. Last year we saw that the two are very similar in terms of driving, already from free practice looking at the respective data both understood where we could improve, and this guaranteed a lot of help. Like all relationships, I believe that it is always possible to improve, if we think about the opportunities we have looking to the future, we always talk about the technical aspects, of the car” .

“But looking at what we did last season, there were some qualifying sessions in which we didn't deserve the potential of the car, so we can always do better also through the collaboration of the drivers. But we are in an excellent position from this point of view”.

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

Lando Norris chases first F1 win with McLaren

In 2023 Lando had a good season but not without errors, in some cases arriving at key moments. What do you expect from this point of view?
“It was certainly a good season for Lando, if we look at the numbers starting from the Austrian Grand Prix I think he was the best in terms of points behind Max. This reflects the quality of driving, the performance he is capable of, and I believe that today he is at the top of the grid. At the same time we had some close calls with… some walls, for example in qualifying in Saudi Arabia, but I don't think there is a single element that contributed to these errors, when you are dealing with champions you have to look at opportunities very holistic”.

“It's all very connected, like the physical state is connected to the mental state and general well-being and integration within the team. It's such a competitive context that requires you to constantly be at the top, that's what makes the difference. I believe there is a part of potential in Lando that is still unexplored, sometimes he surprises us with unexpected performances, for example the pole in the Sprint in Brazil which came after he had lost two-three tenths in the first sector. How he managed to recover in the other five corners? It was just fantastic.”

“Having said that you can always improve, and consistency in that is what makes the difference. I think Max is really setting new standards in terms of consistency in knowing how to achieve high performance, so that's the goal and we work with our drivers also on this front.”

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

If Oscar's growth were to lead him to win a Grand Prix before Lando, do you think it could be a problem for the team?
“Well, if it's a problem, it would be a big problem! And I can't wait to have it! It would be an incredible result in itself considering what we saw last year with Red Bull, so if we manage to win a race with Oscar I think it would be an incredible feeling and it would be incredible for Lando too, because it would mean that we have a car capable of winning races.”

“If I project myself into Lando's head for a second, I think he would ask himself 'what do I have to do better to achieve what Oscar achieved?'. I am convinced that everything is evolving, even the drivers. Verstappen is not the same driver of 2022 or 2021, and he's definitely not the rookie driver. It's all about improvement, and this is definitely the way Lando would process that situation, and with the roles reversed, the same goes for Oscar.”

Last year you had a doubt about the unpredictability of the car in some situations, a hypothesis that took shape especially after some errors in qualifying by Norris. Have you had a chance to clarify?
“Yes, we wondered if we had made the car faster but somehow also slightly more difficult to exploit when you get to the limit in qualifying. We first checked whether these were just random episodes or whether they were actually related from a technical point of view. We think there are some areas that affect aerodynamics, but on these cars aerodynamics and handling pretty much go hand in hand, because the aim is to be able to turn as low as possible.”

“This is an area that deserves some attention, then there are some other areas that I don't want to reveal just as a matter of protecting our intellectual property, but I confirm that it has been one of the priorities of the winter. Some of the benefits could come already with the first version of the 2024 single-seater, others will arrive with subsequent developments.”