Neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri; This Is the Man Responsible for Turning Fortunes at “Underestimated” McLaren

Mclaren is a name that goes hand in hand with Formula 1. The British manufacturer has seen immense success in the past. They dominated the sport in various eras. And have had an iconic driver roster that consists of many all-time greats, such as Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and, of course, Lewis Hamilton. Their glory days seemed to be in the past when the 2023 season started, but the story did not end there! Halfway through the 2023 season, the Papaya colored manufacturer has taken immense strides toward progress!

Over the last few races, the McLaren duo have consistently outclassed Ferrari and Mercedes. They are also shaping up to be a serious threat for the reigning World Champions next season. Although McLaren’s fortunes have improved, it is the man brought in to replace Andreas Seidl, who was responsible for the team’s success. At the end of 2022, McLaren boss Andreas Seidl accepted Sauber’s offer to become their CEO. The British team looked into their camp to promote someone to take his role.

The architect behind McLaren’s newly found pace

Andrea Stella began working with McLaren in 2015 as the head of race operations. He has since made his way through the ranks. He was first promoted to Performance Director and then the Team Director. As Andreas Seidl left McLaren, he was transparent about the offer he had received. This allowed Zak Brown to choose the correct candidate well in time. Stella’s loyalty and hard work would pay off as the Italian was offered the role of Team Principal at the beginning of the season.

Mclaren struggled at the start of the season. With Piastri out in Q1 and Norris in Q2, things were not looking good. The new boss took full responsibility for the lackluster outing, committing to turn things around mid-season. His plan paid dividends, as McLaren has made significant progress toward success!

The British team has scored substantial points in the last few races. Oscar Piastri even achieved P1 at the Qatar GP Sprint Race. Lando Norris has been no slouch either, achieving a consistent podium and overtaking Verstappen briefly over the weekend.

F1 entities and pundits alike commended Andrea Stella for his work in bringing the team up to speed. Sam Power shared his impression of McLaren’s progress on the F1 Nation Podcast. “They (McLaren) are not to be underestimated. Andrea Stella is doing a sensational job. He’s galvanizing the team. I was watching him in Singapore. You know, he took his time actually to go to each member of the team and the hospitality. Making sure that they feel – just – it seems something that (what) they are building is fantastic.”

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Will McLaren be a force to be reckoned with in 2024?

The British manufacturer has hit the ground running since adopting a similar mentality to Red Bull‘s B car plan. Since the summer break, they have outscored both Ferrari and Mercedes. Due to Sergio Perez’s poor performances, the once-midfield team has even outscored Red Bull 104 points to 73 in the last three races.

Since his previous major upgrade, Lando Norris has outscored Sergio Perez. While even Max Verstappen believes McLaren has the greatest driver partnership. The Red Bull driver is concerned about the Papaya team’s progress. Oscar Piastri settled in nicely at McLaren, adding to the number-one team’s troubles. The pair appear to be in good spirits, and the team is working overtime to deliver. With that combination, it is reasonable to expect McLaren to put up a fight against the top guns in 2024.

There remains a minor hurdle that McLaren needs to overcome if they are serious about winning championships again. The past few iterations of the McLaren Challenger have been difficult to drive with inconsistencies in the aerodynamics. Norris was quoted by The Race, “You have to drive it one way, but it’s a way I don’t like to drive.” They have also suffered heavily from reliability issues.

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If McLaren can overcome their technical issues and driveability problems, they can definitely challenge for the World Championship in 2024. Pre-season testing will be a crucial proving ground for the team. McLaren aims to reel Red Bull into a historic championship fight in 2024, but only time will tell if the British manufacturer returns to the top step of the Championship.