29/07/2025 19:10
Andrea Stella has declared he is "not really interested in being
comfortable" in his role as McLaren team principal, as he continues
to be questioned about the number one status of Lando Norris and
Oscar Piastri. Through the Italian and CEO Zak Brown, the reigning
F1 constructors' champion squad has long maintained its stance of
parity between its two drivers. Piastri leads Norris by 16 points
in the F1 drivers' title fight, whilst Max Verstappen has fallen
back and is on the brink of becoming a non-factor at 81 points
adrift. Even though the Dutchman is quickly developing into a moot
point this season, with the championship battle increasingly
turning into an all-McLaren affair, Stella is still being asked
about the Woking team's equal stance. The 54-year-old's drivers
have proven a close match for one another across the campaign, but
when it was put to him that it would be "more comfortable" to have
a strong and clear number one driver, he dismissed the concern. "If
I wanted to be comfortable, then I'm not doing the right job,"
Stella told media, including RacingNews365 . "I'm not really
interested in being comfortable. "I'm interested in putting McLaren
in the best possible position to succeed, which means competing for
the constructors' world championship, and if possible, making sure
that the drivers' world championship is a matter between the two
drivers of the McLaren Formula 1 team." 'We are here to go racing
in a certain way' Stella stressed that even if McLaren and its
drivers did not occupy its current dominant position in both
championships, it would not change the team's approach. "And in
addition to that, even if this doesn't make my life or Zak's life
any simpler, we are here also to go racing in a certain way, which
is open, which may give our drivers the opportunity to express
their talents, their aspirations, their quality, their constant
development," he added. "So that's what we are here for. "We are
very privileged to be in this position, and also we are privileged,
I think, that we are doing that, not only with the team we have,
but with Oscar and Lando, who are two great drivers, but above all,
two great individuals."
