McLaren tackle the season finale in Abu Dhabi with 21 points of advantage on Ferrari. It will be an thrilling weekend and as tomorrow the engines will start to roar, Team Principal Andrea Stella wraps up what has been an incredible season so far.

“We face Abu Dhabi focused and determined to finish the job as a team”, stated Stella. With only one race to go, McLaren’s team Principal took also the time to wrap up what has been so far an exceptional season.

“A part from the first few races of the season, since the delivery of the updates at the Miami GP, we have an incredible trajectory from the driver’s point of view with Lando being able to compete with Max Verstappen. This is an unthinkable achievement that we need to acknowledge at McLaren. When I say unbelievable is because we don’t have to forget where we were just 18 months ago”.

Embodying the ability to fight constantly at the top comes in fact with experience. You need to go through it to earn it and this is part of the learning curve Lando and McLaren had to go through.

Executing under pressure is an art and a fundamental skill for an F1 team. “Being part of this quest we learned to win, and we learned that sometimes you need to adjust the way you approach races. This season we had several occasions like Canada, Silverstone, or Monza where we could have won”, explained Stella.

The team principal’s analysis continues: “If we consider Lando’s adaptation even competing wheel to wheel with Max, what impresses is his ability to learn very quickly. Just think where he was in Austria and his performance in Austin and – the following week – in Mexico. I am extremely proud of how Lando is picking up from the situations he experiences on and off track to become a better driver.

“We keep on working hard also with Oscar, because in 2025 we want to compete in the driver’s championship with two drivers”, concluded Stella. Next step: Abu Dhabi.

Photo: Courtesy of McLaren F1 Team