How the chief architect of McLaren's improvement plans to continue its rise

Last year McLaren went from having one of the slowest cars in Formula 1 to scrapping for wins, but there was plenty of work left. Now the team that dominated F1 for much of the 1980s and ‘90s is properly challenging for world titles again for the first time in over a decade. GP RACING explains that renaissance with the help of a key architect…

Andrea Stella arrives for our interview with six pages of notes, and the thoroughness of preparation is obvious. There are sections, with headings. They cover the areas McLaren’s team principal figures we’re likely to discuss. And there’s a remarkable example of the emotional intelligence of the man who, since he took on his current role in December 2022, has masterminded McLaren’s transformation from long-time midfielders to Formula 1 front-runners.

One of the questions planned was: “How do you go from better to best?” Stella has no way of knowing this. We’re a fair bit through the interview when it’s asked. Stella smiles and turns over a sheet of paper. “Look,” he says, pointing at a section heading in his handwritten notes. “Better to best.”