Andrea Stella reflects on McLaren’s drivers’ title: regrets and lessons learned. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella reflects on the 2025 season.

Andrea Stella has reflected on a season of major success for McLaren but did not hide a touch of regret.

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal, spoke during the Caschi d’Oro and Volanti ACI 2025 evening at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Speaking to Sky Sport, Stella reviewed a season full of achievements for the Woking-based team. However, he admitted that some things, particularly on the team’s part, could have been done differently. The drivers’ championship was hard-fought, with Lando Norris ultimately prevailing by just two points, partly due to an extraordinary comeback by Max Verstappen.

The McLaren season

Before the start of the 2025 season, Andrea Stella promised fans that he would make F1 “boring.” According to the team principal, that mission was only partially accomplished. Stella admitted: “The mission to make F1 boring we achieved only halfway, we must acknowledge that. We won the constructors’ championship six races early, but the drivers’ championship went to the last race, won by just two points.”

Behind these successes, however, lies a hint of regret for not having secured the drivers’ title a little earlier: “Regarding the drivers’ championship, there are reasons connected to the team, to the execution by the team. We could have closed the issue well before the final race, but we didn’t execute correctly. In Las Vegas, which led to our disqualification, we didn’t execute properly, and in Qatar, we had a strategy that cost us a victory and a podium with Lando [Norris]. So I don’t think it’s much about the approach, but more about execution.”

Despite this “regret,” Stella sees the season as a valuable lesson: “This is the big learning point from this championship. It made us realize that, as a team, we still have room to grow. We still need to improve to continue being candidates to win both championships.”

As attention turns to defending both crowns amid the 2026 regulation reset, these insights highlight McLaren’s determination to evolve. With a proven car concept, strong driver lineup, and lessons learned from high-pressure moments, the papaya squad appears well-positioned to build on their success – aiming for the kind of dominance that truly makes races “boring” for everyone else.