McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is approaching the British Grand Prix with confidence, believing the Woking-based team has everything it needs to return to the front of the Formula 1 field. For the Italian, who has spent more than a decade living and working in England, Silverstone has effectively become a home race, and he is optimistic about the progress McLaren is making.
The team is working intensively on aerodynamic and mechanical upgrades, while also refining tyre management in an effort to make the MCL40 more competitive. According to Stella, the first signs are encouraging, and McLaren’s objective is clear: reduce the gap to the leading teams and rejoin the fight for victories.
The battle at the front and McLaren’s development plan
Stella believes the competitive picture at the front of the championship changes from one circuit to another, making it impossible to predict which team will emerge on top each weekend. In his view, the fight for victories will involve several teams, with the outcome largely depending on the quantity and effectiveness of the upgrades introduced throughout the season.
“The fight at the front will be intense between several teams. It will depend on the quantity of effective upgrades,” Stella told Corriere della Sera, using Red Bull’s performance in Austria as an example of how quickly the competitive order can change thanks to successful developments.
McLaren currently trails the pace-setters by around three to four tenths of a second per lap, but Stella insists the team fully understands where it needs to improve and remains completely confident in its ability to respond. “I’m not worried at all. I know what we’re capable of when it comes to reacting.”
Although Mercedes has won seven of the opening eight races of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Stella firmly believes McLaren can catch — and potentially overtake — its rivals. In his opinion, Mercedes deserves credit not only for starting the season with a strong package, but also for continuing to develop it race after race instead of relying solely on its early advantage.
“Mercedes started with a good advantage, but they have also continued to develop their car. If they had arrived at the last race with the same car they used in Melbourne, they wouldn’t have won. They bring new developments to every Grand Prix,” he explained.
For Stella, this is the nature of modern Formula 1: every team, including the one currently leading the championship, must continue innovating if it wants to remain competitive. The key question over the second half of the season will be whether Mercedes can preserve its advantage or whether another team, such as McLaren, can gradually close the gap and launch a title challenge similar to the one Max Verstappen mounted last year.
“Now we want to be the challengers. That’s the motivation that drives everyone here. The mission is clear,” Stella concluded.
Adapting to the new regulations and overcoming frustration
Speaking about the major regulation changes that effectively reset the competitive order after McLaren’s successful 2024 and 2025 campaigns, Stella admitted that there was naturally some frustration within the team at first.
“It would be easy to say no. But there was some frustration. Just as we had started to capitalize on all the investments and hard work, everything changed.”
However, he explained that those feelings were quickly replaced by pride in what the team had already achieved and by a strong desire to prove that McLaren could win again even under a completely different set of technical regulations.
“It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone, but we think differently.”
Stella spoke with great calm and confidence, explaining that this comes from the strength of the current McLaren organisation, which he considers the strongest since becoming team principal. As a Mercedes customer team, McLaren has also had to deal with several reliability-related disadvantages, but he believes the collaboration with Mercedes’ engine department has improved significantly.
“We had reliability problems. Now we have a much more effective collaboration with the engine department. They have helped us, and we’re understanding much more about how to use the electrical energy—but not only that.”
Driver market, Verstappen rumours and McLaren’s academy
Discussing McLaren’s recruitment strategy, Stella confirmed the arrival of Gianpiero Lambiase from Red Bull, further strengthening the technical structure of the team.
When asked whether McLaren would be interested in signing Max Verstappen, Stella initially responded with a joke.
“We’ll have to wait until the FIA introduces a third car.”
He then gave a more serious answer, explaining that if a four-time world champion genuinely knocked on McLaren’s door, it would simply confirm how attractive and credible the team has become. However, he made it clear that McLaren has no intention of changing its current driver line-up.
“If a four-time world champion really knocked on the door, we would take it as a sign of credibility and attractiveness. But not now that we have Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. We’re happy with this combination.”
McLaren continues to invest heavily in its driver academy, with Stella firmly believing that the best long-term strategy is to develop champions from within. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have raced exclusively for McLaren in Formula 1, allowing them to grow alongside the team while fully embracing its culture and philosophy.
Among the academy’s brightest prospects are two Italians: Formula 1 reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli and Formula 3 racer Matteo De Palo.
“We believe in this model, in which two of our leading prospects are Italian.”
Stella also expressed his satisfaction at seeing Italian talent flourish elsewhere on the grid, mentioning Kimi Antonelli as an example, while hoping McLaren can build a similarly successful pathway for its own young drivers.
“We’re happy with this commitment. We’re seeing what Kimi is capable of.”
Andrea Stella’s vision for Formula 1’s future engines
Finally, Stella shared his thoughts on the growing importance of the electrical component in modern Formula 1 power units. In his opinion, the current balance has gone too far in that direction.
If he had the opportunity to shape the future regulations, he would retain hybrid technology, but with a much smaller role, while placing greater emphasis on a more powerful and simplified internal combustion engine.
“I would keep the hybrid element, but make it less significant. I would move towards a more powerful and simplified traditional combustion engine.”
According to Stella, Formula 1 must continue to showcase cutting-edge engineering while also delivering excitement, emotion and entertainment. For that reason, he believes the next generation of Formula 1 cars should strike a better balance between technological innovation and spectacular racing, ensuring the sport remains relevant both from a technical perspective and for the fans watching around the world.
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