McLaren team principal Andrea Stella looks back on the first half of the 2026 season. After winning two world titles at the end of last year, the British racing team did not have the dream start to the season, with a double retirement in Shanghai as the low point. Yet Stella’s pride prevails in how his drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have handled the new cars. According to the team principal, the bond between the two drivers has also grown stronger this season: ‘And that was not a given after last year’s title fight’.
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A year after the title battle between Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, McLaren faced a very different challenge at the start of 2026. The new regulations came into effect. This also meant that the McLaren drivers had to adjust their driving style to the completely new cars. And they have ultimately been able to do so successfully, according to team principal Andrea Stella.
“I am very satisfied with the performance of our drivers in this first phase of the 2026 season,” the Italian looks back for the McLaren website. “For Oscar and Lando – just like for their twenty colleagues on the F1 starting grid – the consequences of the new regulations have been downright drastic. The new generation of single-seaters requires not only an adjustment of driving style but especially much more attention to understanding how to fully exploit the potential of the new power units.”
The fact that McLaren, among other things, suffered a double retirement during the Chinese GP – even before the race had started – did not help the drivers with the learning process. “However, both reacted to this in the right way. They have dedicated themselves day in and day out with great commitment, together with the team,” says Stella.
‘Bond between Norris and Piastri has grown stronger’
Stella respects not only how both McLaren drivers have adapted to the new technical regulations but also their ongoing collaboration. “It was not a given that, after last year – when they fought for the world title until the last race – the harmony they had built up would remain intact,” Stella shares his earlier concerns. “Yet this has not only not changed, but the bond between them and with the team has even grown stronger.”
The fear was especially that Piastri – who had to concede the title to Norris during the last Abu Dhabi GP by only thirteen championship points – would no longer want to continue on the same footing. “Although this (the good cooperation between the drivers, ed.) was somewhat expected from Lando – since he ultimately became champion – it was not so predictable for Oscar,” Stella explains. “But in the end, he leaned even more strongly on the team to accelerate his development. Both on and off the track.”
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