Andrea Stella predicts McLaren won’t win races until 2025

Lando Norris claimed a podium, whereas Oscar Piastri had a career-best finish in P4 at the British Grand Prix.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella (Image credit: PlanetF1)

McLaren’s British Grand Prix display turned heads as new upgrades transformed Lando Norris into Max Verstappen’s sole challenger. Securing second place, Norris led McLaren’s resurgence, with teammate Oscar Piastri impressively claiming fourth. Despite a poor start to 2023, McLaren’s technical restructuring and MCL60 revamp boosted them from backmarkers to frontrunners. However, team principal Andrea Stella claims the papaya team will only fight for podiums in 2024.

Andrea Stella expressed the expectation for McLaren to compete for podiums in the future. He specified that this goal would be targeted for the next season, focusing on achieving victories in the following season. Stella also emphasized the importance of relying on factual improvements to the car rather than mere visions.

“Our expectation is for McLaren to compete for podiums in the future, next season, and for victories in the following season,” Stella told the media. “This is the long-term vision, but you don’t deliver based on visions, you deliver based on the facts that you actually bring to the car,” he added.

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Also read: Lando Norris predicts friendship with Max Verstappen will be ‘put to test’ as McLaren set eyes on catching up to Red Bull

McLaren’s Silverstone display took team principal Andrea Stella by surprise

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris after the 2023 British Grand Prix qualifying (Image credit: PlanetF1)

McLaren’s sudden surge in form took many by surprise, considering where the Woking-based team stood at the start of the season. After a P2 and P3 qualifying result for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at Silverstone, McLaren has made the midfield battle even more exciting. However, team principal Andrea Stella too was shocked by the MCL60’s British run.

The Italian acknowledged that surprises occasionally arise, such as the car’s unexpected improvement brought by the upgrades taken to Austria and Silverstone. He also mentioned that the numerical increase in lap times was not anticipated. Stella also highlighted the continual dedication to delivering car upgrades, encompassing various crucial elements such as design, conception, production, etc.

No team has a bigger appetite for wins at the #HungarianGP than @McLarenF1! ?

The Woking squad has won in Budapest on 11 occasions, most recently with @LewisHamilton in 2012 ?

Will anyone stop Red Bull from winning a record 12th consecutive F1 race this weekend? pic.twitter.com/Gjl3JWPgSS
— Autosport (@autosport) July 18, 2023

“If we take the technical level and performance, we just have to keep delivering upgrades to the car,” he stated. “Then sometimes you find surprises, like these upgrades that we took to Austria and (Silverstone), numerically we weren’t expecting this improvement from a lap time point of view.”

McLaren’s impressive performance at the British Grand Prix puts them in fifth place in the constructors’ championship. Norris beat 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to a second-place finish at his home race. At the same time, Oscar Piastri and teammate Lando Norris occupy the eleventh and ninth places in the drivers’ standings.