McLaren extends Stella’s contract as team principal

Andrea Stella has been granted a “multi-year” extension to his contract as McLaren team principal, the Formula 1 team announced on Thursday.

Stella has led McLaren’s F1 squad since taking over from Andreas Seidl at the end of 2022.

In that time, McLaren has leapt up the F1 pecking order thanks to a series of big upgrade packages, with the team taking two wins this season, as well as a further 18 podiums since the start of 2023.

“It’s a privilege to be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team, and I am honoured to continue in my role as team principal,” Stella said in a McLaren team statement.

“We’ve made great strides forward in the past year and a half and we still have a lot more work to do to consistently fight at the front of the grid, which poses an exciting challenge.

“Success comes through the Team working in synergy, and I am enjoying my role, which has allowed me to help unlock individual talent and empower people to work together towards our team’s objectives.

“My thanks go to Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO] for his confidence in me as a leader, to my entire leadership team and all my colleagues in the team, for their continued collaboration and support.

“I am excited for what we can continue to achieve together.”

Stella joined McLaren in 2015 after a long career atFerrari, where he worked as a performance engineer for Michael Schumacher and later became race engineer for Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

Before being promoted to team principal, the Italian worked as McLaren’s head of race operations, performance director and executive director, racing from 2019 to 2022.

He has gained a reputation in the paddock for thorough explanations to the media, as well as loyally backing his staff and drivers – notably after Lando Norris’s collision with Max Verstappen in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Stella’s new contract follows Norris and Oscar Piastri signing long-term deals to race with McLaren in recent months.

“I am delighted to confirm we’ve extended Andrea’s contract as our F1 team principal for multiple years,” Brown said.

“His excellent leadership, expertise and the respect he holds within the team and Formula 1 means we could not have a better person in place to continue the pursuit of consistently fighting at the front of the grid.

“His impact on McLaren F1 in his role as team principal has been profound, not only through our results on track and the trajectory of the team but also in his development of our culture and mindset.

“With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we can confidently continue on our quest to become world champions.

“We’re all looking forward to the years to come under Andrea’s leadership.”