Andrea Stella took a positive view of how McLaren managed to turn things around in 2026 despite the set-backs faced early in the Formula 1 season. according to the team principal, the massive effort poured into chasing last year’s titles ended up costing their current development program, but he made it clear he is “truly proud” of everyone back at Woking.
The reigning back-to-back constructors’ champions struggled for pace across the opening rounds, primarily linked to a lack of correlation and understanding with the Mercedes power unit. amidst the ups and downs, the MCL40 evolved in the final weeks leading into the summer break. thanks to the upgrade package introduced at the Hungarian GP, Lando Norris unlocked the papaya squad’s first victory of the campaign.
“I think the most important lesson we learned from these seven months of hard work is that, in moments of great difficulty, unity is strength. We proved, first and foremost to ourselves, how crucial team cohesion is when reacting, bouncing back, and getting back on the path toward the top,” Stella began in an interview with McLaren’s official website.
“After three years of steady progress—which led us to claim three out of four world titles between 2024 and 2025—the start of this season represented a real reset. Not only because the regulation changes were probably the most significant in the history of the sport, but above all because we realized the high price we paid for the effort made in 2025 to win both world titles,” he admitted.
Alongside the constructors’ championship, the Woking team had to keep developing last year’s challenger right until the wire, as Max Verstappen and Red Bull mounted a fierce late-season surge that nearly snatched the drivers’ crown from Norris, who ultimately won the title by just two points. with the arrival of the new technical regulations, splitting focus hindered both teams early on.
“We could have collapsed; we could have found excuses for not starting the championship in the same shape we finished the previous one, but that’s not what happened. We tried to understand the technical and strategic reasons and focused our efforts. And that makes me truly proud of this team,” Stella concluded.
Formula 1 is currently on its summer break. the championship resumes action from August 21 to 23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
