Twenty-six years after their last triumph in 1998, the Constructors’ Championship is once again painted in McLaren colors. In a season where the Woking team truly shone, they fielded what was often the best car on the grid. The MCL38 stood out for its versatility, proving competitive across a wide range of circuits.
This long-awaited success has deeper roots than the two years in which McLaren transformed from fighting to avoid the back rows to becoming the benchmark on the grid. Behind the group that brought McLaren back to the top are also investments made during more challenging periods.
Going back a few years, the switch to Renault engines after parting ways with Honda may have been the best remedy for McLaren. It allowed the team to realize they needed more significant interventions to compete with their rivals.
“It was a big wake-up call because I think everyone thought that once we put in a new engine, we’d make a big leap forward. We changed the engine, improved, but still had major issues,” said Zak Brown, McLaren CEO. Decisions made during that period laid some of the groundwork for the team’s current triumphs, including building a new wind tunnel at the McLaren Technology Centre.
Investments made during a critical period
The previous wind tunnel had become technologically outdated, negatively impacting development. The team had been forced to move operations to Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne. This logistical challenge slowed development, making it harder to work in real-time on the car and extending validation times compared to other teams. To illustrate, McLaren sometimes took a week to receive feedback.
The decision to construct a new wind tunnel came in 2019, but the project faced delays due to the pandemic, which also had a significant financial impact, as Brown explained: “We were definitely on the brink. We were paying all our bills but were months—many months—away from running out of money. We knew we could make it through the year, but without a cash injection, we were at risk.”
Some of McLaren’s current successes stem from the economic and investment decisions made during those challenging years, one of the most delicate periods in the history of not just the team but the entire group. “Some infrastructure areas that came into play in 2023 were approved when Andreas Seidl was still in charge. Many of the positives we benefit from today were born under his leadership,” said Andrea Stella, McLaren’s current Team Principal, a few months ago.
Seidl oversaw McLaren’s transition phase, supervising projects that helped make the Woking team one of the most advanced in terms of facilities. The new wind tunnel at the MTC and the upgraded simulator are prime examples of this transition, but behind-the-scenes work also touched many aspects of the organization.
Andrea Stella’s impact
However, it was under Andrea Stella’s management that McLaren made the true leap forward—not necessarily only in technical and performance terms but also in the human element. Given Stella’s deep knowledge of the team, Brown entrusted him with the task of reorganizing the team and shaping it for maximum effectiveness.
“My contribution and that of the management team was to think about how to unleash the talent that was obviously already present in McLaren. McLaren wasn’t on an upward trajectory; we were wobbling. But I knew the people at McLaren and that there was latent talent within the team,” Stella recalled before winning the championship.
Reflecting on Stella’s journey and the changes the Woking team underwent at the start of 2023, Brown explained how entrusting the team’s management to the Italian was a crucial step: “I asked him to review everything. Of course, he had already paid attention, but he respects roles. However, I told him I wanted him to have full authority from that point on.”
While new engineers joined McLaren in 2023, most notably Rob Marshall from Red Bull, the key element was restructuring the organization and placing the right people in the right roles. The new technical structure clarified responsibilities and gave more space to existing talents within the team, such as Giuseppe Pesce, an Italian engineer who, alongside Peter Prodromou, shaped the new aerodynamic design direction.
“We knew the start of 2023 would be a disaster. We made changes. James Key and Tony Salter left, which empowered people like Pete Prodromou, who had been somewhat sidelined. We simply put the right people in charge because we didn’t make many new hires; we just restructured,” said Brown. Before the 2023 car launch, he admitted he expected a tough start to the season.
Indeed, the first months of 2023 were challenging performance-wise, but within the factory, there was confidence they were on the right track. This was evident with the upgrade packages introduced before mid-season: “We started to see a development rhythm. Then there was this strange dynamic of getting beaten on track and publicly while the factory had confidence.”
“The positive aspect was knowing we’d struggle in 2023 and deciding to endure it. There was a lot of faith in Andrea’s leadership.” Alongside performance growth, another critical factor was the human and organizational development, where Stella guided the team effectively.
The effectiveness of updates and team culture
From the updates introduced in Canada, Austria, and Silverstone, McLaren embarked on a growth trajectory that hasn’t slowed. From that point on, every innovation brought to the track yielded positive results. Beyond pure performance, this consistency has been one of the team’s secrets, especially in a 2024 season where many teams stumbled.
“I think we’re at our peak now. We have the best sponsor portfolio on the grid. I think we have record revenues. We’re profitable, which is a sign of our on-track success. But we race for trophies, not the economy. I think we’re back to the McLaren I knew. Ultimately, it’s all about the people,” added Zak Brown.
“We all have great wind tunnels. We all have great CFD systems. But it’s the people who make the difference.” For Brown, as his team celebrates its first F1 Constructors’ Championship since 1998, the main goal is to ensure continuity on this path.
“Looking at other teams with great technology and drivers who have fallen behind, I think it’s because their team culture wasn’t what it needed to be. My primary goal now is to preserve what we have, improve where possible, and prevent anyone from eating, as Andrea calls them, the poisoned cookies—issues of internal politics or external pressures.”
“It’s easy for that to happen after a bad weekend or one where we could have done better. But Andrea’s ability to manage the team is incredible. We don’t start blaming each other. We’re a team. That’s kept us very solid.”
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