Andrea Stella denies Zak Brown’s claims, admits he was not solely responsible for McLaren’s turnaround at British GP

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella claims a group effort allowed the team to bounce back despite Zak Brown's comments.

Andrea Stella denies Zak Brown’s claims, admits he was not solely responsible for McLaren’s turnaround at British GP

Andrea Stella (image via Getty images), Zak Brown (image via PlanetF1)

McLaren struggled at the start of the 2023 F1 season with the Woking-based team failing to make it out of Q1 in several GPs. However, the British squad has bounced back with a stellar result at the British GP after Lando Norris secured P2. Now, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has made it clear that it was not just his contribution that led to this success.

Stella was promoted to the role of Team Principal at the start of this season. The 52-year-old replaced Andreas Seidl who left to spearhead Audi’s upcoming works F1 entry with Sauber. The Italian mentioned that he could only bring McLaren to its recent result due to the continuous support at Woking. He said, “The most important thing is that you don’t do these things alone. I’ve been very, very well supported.”

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Andreas Stella refuted McLaren CEO Zak Brown’s comments about single-handedly bringing success to the British squad. Rather, the 52-year-old believed that in the complex structure of an F1 team, only effective group work can achieve positive results. He stated, “It will be a mistake to say, ‘I’, or ‘you’. It’s a group work, even when it comes to the leadership. An F1 team is too complex to think that somebody alone can turn a situation around.”

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McLaren set to thrive under Andrea Stella’s leadership?

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the British GP (image via Formularapida.net)
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the British GP (image via Formularapida.net)

The Woking-based team continues to work towards its ambitions of racing at the front of the grid once again. Despite the early struggles this season, a technical restructure brought in by Stella has led to a quick recovery for McLaren. The British outfit will soon be utilizing its new in-house wind tunnel to the full effect which can further allow for more efficient operations.

As such, McLaren seems to be in a prime position in the coming years. Zak Brown has worked extensively in overhauling the Woking-based team for years and now, Andrea Stella has established himself as the right person to lead the F1 team. Subsequently, it appears that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could soon be fighting for race wins.

Thus, Andrea Stella was convinced that he did not turn things around at McLaren by himself. The 52-year-old mentioned that it was truly a team effort that allowed the British squad to get back on the F1 podium. Although, there remains a long journey ahead for Stella and Brown in their efforts to bring an F1 world title back to Woking.

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