STELLA ON COMMONALITIES BETWEEN MCLAREN DRIVERS AND SCHUMACHER, ALONSO

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella discussed the common traits between his current driver duo and legendary drivers like Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

Throughout his years in Formula 1, Stella has worked with many great drivers, including Schumacher and Alonso. He highlighted what connects all top drivers in the sport.

In an interview on Pirelli’s “Box, Box, Box” podcast, host Tom Clarkson asked Stella about the unifying factors among all great drivers, including his current duo. The Italian team principal stated, “There are at least two elements. The first is talent. They are capable of doing their job in a way that we cannot. This talent includes developing the ability to drive fast and with precision.”

Having spent nearly 15 years at Ferrari, Stella began his career there in 2000 as a performance engineer in the test team and became Schumacher’s performance engineer from 2002 to 2006. He transitioned to McLaren in 2015 as the director of race operations and progressed toward becoming team principal in 2023.

Stella continued, “Another characteristic they all share is a very high level of intelligence. I can say their mental acuity is particularly extraordinary.” He added, “They are very talented individuals who could also excel in other fields mentally. What they possess are both talent and mental capability.”