After securing the Constructors’ Title last season, Andrea Stella sets the next objective for McLaren in 2025. Starting the 2024 season chasing Red Bull significantly complicated Lando Norris’s bid for the Drivers’ Title. The new MCL39 will need to enable both Norris and Piastri to be at the top from the very start.
McLaren’s team principal emphasized the importance of providing his drivers with an immediately competitive car if the team wants to fight for both titles this year. The Woking-based squad unveiled the MCL39 on Thursday, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri taking part in a shakedown at Silverstone ahead of the official livery presentation at the F1 75 event.
In 2024, Norris and McLaren entered the title fight only after a major upgrade introduced at the Miami Grand Prix, by which point Verstappen had already built a significant lead in the standings. The pursuit of the Drivers’ Title ultimately proved insufficient due to a lack of consistency at the front in a tightly contested battle and mismanagement in key moments, despite the MCL38 often being the fastest car.
“I think there are two main lessons from last season,” said Stella. “The first is that the biggest points deficit in the championship between Lando and Max was accumulated at the beginning of the season.”
“And that’s why I refer to the car’s performance, because if we go back to Bahrain, we were probably the fourth-best car at that time, until we upgraded the car in Miami.” – he pointed out – “From Miami onwards, the gap between Max and Lando remained fairly constant. That is the first lesson. We need to provide Lando and Oscar with a competitive car capable of podium finishes right from the start.”
Continuing, Andrea Stella also commented on Norris’s performances, praising and defending his driver, who faced heavy criticism in the paddock in 2024. Despite McLaren often appearing to have the fastest car, neither Lando Norris nor the team were able to fully capitalize on the advantage, certainly not helped by the presence of Ferrari and Mercedes in the chase for Max Verstappen.
“The second lesson is that I saw Lando grow at a very fast pace throughout the season,” he said. “He was already an incredible driver, and he proved it immediately in Miami: as soon as he had a car capable of winning, he did his job. He was a very consistent driver. If we look at the number of podiums and, as I mentioned, the points scored, he accumulated as many points as Max from Miami onwards. But at the same time, the speed with which he learned from every situation, allowing us to grow both as a team and as a driver, was truly impressive.” – the former Ferrari team boss continued.
“If we take the on-track battles with Max in Austria and Austin, we can see how quickly he adapted, and then, right after, in Mexico, he already knew what to do against Max. The same goes for race driving and tire management—there are several examples. For instance, in Las Vegas, he completely changed his pace with the last set of tires after struggling with graining in the first two stints. He is learning very quickly and certainly has all the qualities, skills, and mentality to become world champion.”
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