Ambitious goals: McLaren team principal Andrea Stella issues a challenge

The McLaren team has managed to secure just one Grand Prix victory in the first eleven races of the current season, which came in the most recent race at the Hungaroring. World Champion Lando Norris took the win, whilst his team-mate Oscar Piastri suffered a bitter retirement. The world champion team had previously celebrated just four podium finishes: Norris finished second in Miami and third in Spain, whilst Piastri took second place in Japan and third in Miami.

The Woking-based team currently occupies third place in the constructors’ championship. They trail the leaders by a wide margin: leaders Mercedes have 159 more points to their name, whilst Ferrari’s lead stands at 87 points. In the drivers’ championship, Norris is in fifth place, 91 championship points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Piastri trails by 127 points and is currently seventh in the championship.

Andrea Stella warns: “The development race is crucial”

Nevertheless, team principal Andrea Stella has set his sights high. In a team interview, when asked about the targets for the second half of the season and whether he believes McLaren can get back into the title race, he said: “That’s a difficult question, but there’s a very clear answer. If we carry on as we did in Budapest, we can still achieve great things. But to do that, we need to push ahead with the development of the MCL40 and ensure that we’re faster than the competition in the development race – a competition that certainly isn’t resting on its laurels either.”

“The outcome will certainly depend on how well the new updates we bring to the track perform. We struggled more than expected in this regard during the first half of the season. But in recent years we’ve managed to turn things around and maintain that momentum,” says the Italian encouragingly. “There are still 12 races to go, so there will be plenty of opportunities for us, as there are still 546 points up for grabs.”

“Of course, we’re a long way behind in both World Championship standings, but we haven’t forgotten last season. And I always tell the team that we have to give our best to add to McLaren’s trophy collection, now that we’ve made room for the latest trophies at the Woking factory,” Stella adds defiantly.

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