And Stella, McLaren’s TP, is not wrong when he says that in F1, regarding the hours spent working between CFD and the wind tunnel, quality matters just as much as quantity. Through our pages, we have often focused on this particular issue. We are referring to the ATR regulations, a scoring system based on “inverse merit,” meaning that the lower a team finishes in the Constructors’ Championship, the more development time it gets compared to those who performed better the previous year. This system is quite intricate.
We have explained how it works many times and have no intention of doing so again. Our readers already know. Today, therefore, we prefer to discuss how these “windows” granted by the FIA—undoubtedly crucial for car development throughout the season—are utilized. McLaren is the reigning F1 world champion, a title won with great merit. This is because, during the 2024 season, the best technical project—or at least the one that showed the most consistency—was undoubtedly that of Woking.
The drivers’ title went to Verstappen. The Dutchman benefited from McLaren’s clear support. And yes… because there were many missed opportunities to defeat the talent from Hasselt. The team’s inexperience and lack of preparation for winning made the difference. Lando Norris lost a great opportunity—one that may not come again in the 2025 season. We know Red Bull has pushed hard, and the RB21 will be a completely different machine from its predecessor. Andrea Stella, the team principal in papaya colors, is well aware of this.
F1, McLaren Chose a Path It Knew How to Build
The former Ferrari engineer took over a team in disarray. In just a few months, with the enormous support of Zak Brown and a complete restructuring of the working group, he achieved a true sporting miracle. McLaren went from struggling in the midfield to winning in just a year and a half. A very rapid qualitative leap, built on solid foundations, carefully planned, and executed with great technical acumen. One of the key factors in this success was the team’s development capability.
Yes, because when reviewing the 2024 season, one interesting aspect stands out. McLaren achieved a crucial “record” last season: the MCL38 was the only top-tier car that consistently improved with every update. It never got an upgrade wrong. Moreover, besides the numerous updates we observed and analyzed throughout the championship, it’s worth highlighting the variety of configurations in two specific components—the rear wing and the beam wing. Through this approach, the adaptability of the British cars was nothing short of remarkable.
For this reason, no track on the calendar caught the historic British team off guard. Of course, McLaren was not always the car to beat—this is certainly true. However, even on circuits where others were stronger, it remained competitive and capable of fighting at the front. Andrea Stella is undoubtedly the mastermind, a leader who has channeled all energy in the right direction. Recently, the former Ferrari race engineer for Fernando Alonso spoke on a particularly interesting topic.
The engineer from Orvieto has experienced firsthand a key principle: despite the development restrictions (which will be even stricter next year due to McLaren’s 2024 standings), sheer efficiency allowed the team to achieve optimal results. According to Andrea, the way expertise is built is by far the most crucial factor. Looking at the results, it seems impossible to argue otherwise. Time allocation helps, of course. But it is not a decisive factor. That is his belief.
Having triple the time in CFD and the wind tunnel does not necessarily mean a team can upgrade an F1 car better or faster. His reasoning is flawless. Just look at the other teams that made several missteps—Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin all struggled. This is why McLaren won. It chose to focus exclusively on quality and found a way to make it work. A bit like what Ferrari aims to do in 2025, hoping to “wipe the smile” off their former colleague’s face. Will they succeed? In a couple of months, we will have an idea.
In the meantime, all we can do is take notes on the strategy developed and executed to perfection by the British team. Or rather, we hope the Maranello team has done so. McLaren should be taken as an example in F1. And who knows—perhaps in the final season before yet another regulatory overhaul, it will prove capable of maintaining its level of performance to finally erase the zero from its drivers’ world championship tally. A negative record that has lasted since 2008, when Lewis Hamilton won his first world title in the premier motorsport category behind the wheel of a British car.
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