The McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was present at the Caschi d’Oro event to discuss the team’s performance in 2025 and share insights for the upcoming 2026 Formula 1 season.
What the McLaren team principal said
“A year ago here I said we were working to make 2025 boring, and it was boring only halfway through,” Andrea Stella said during his appearance at Autosprint’s Caschi d’Oro, reflecting on a year in which McLaren achieved a double triumph: securing the Constructors’ Championship and complementing it with Lando Norris’ Drivers’ Championship.
“Norris is a well-deserved world champion; he earned his title on track,” Andrea Stella added to Sky’s microphones. “He could have won earlier, but we didn’t manage it because of our mistakes—both in Las Vegas and in Qatar, we made errors in execution, resulting in a disqualification and a strategic mistake. This should teach us that, as a team, we still have room for improvement.”
McLaren’s outlook for 2026
When asked about McLaren’s 2026 prospects, Andrea Stella commented:
“The development gradient and potential are very encouraging, but we don’t know where the others are. For the first time in F1, everything will be new: tyres, cars, engines. So we need to approach with caution, knowing that 2026—and even the years ahead—will be a development battle.”
As McLaren aims to defend their crowns, Andrea Stella’s words serve as a reminder that even after a season of near-total domination, complacency has no place at the top of Formula 1. The Italian’s measured approach suggests the team is already fully focused on mastering the challenges of the all-new 2026 machinery.
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