“Andrea Stella didn’t want to become McLaren team principal”, Zak Brown reveals. Zak Brown admitted that Andrea Stella initially turned down the position offered by McLaren .

Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, recently revealed that Andrea Stella initially refused the offer to become team principal, despite his crucial role in the team’s revival. In short, McLaren’s recent history could have been very different.

Andrea Stella joined McLaren in 2015 after a long career at Ferrari. During his time at McLaren, he held various key positions, significantly contributing to the team’s performance improvement. His dedication culminated in a constructors’ championship victory last season, proving his value within the team.

Andrea Stella and That Rejection of McLaren…
Zak Brown stated that he had already tried to convince Andrea Stella to become team principal in 2019 or 2020. However, Andrea Stella didn’t feel ready for such a crucial role. “Andrea has very little ego,” Zak Brown explained, emphasizing that the former Ferrari engineer wasn’t the type to rush into taking command. Despite Zak Brown’s insistence, Andrea Stella preferred to take his time to reflect.

After making some changes to McLaren’s organizational structure, Zak Brown had another opportunity to offer Stella the role of team principal. Although the offer was tempting, Stella asked for a weekend to think it over before accepting.

In the end, Andrea Stella became a symbol of McLaren’s success, not only for his technical expertise but also for his leadership. The Italian engineer is perhaps the main architect behind Woking’s victory in the constructors’ championship. Meanwhile, Stella, along with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, is preparing for the next F1 season, which will begin in Australia in mid-March.