Stella reveals McLaren has "lots in the pipeline" for the coming races
Originally published by F1Technical
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella described the Miami Grand Prix as one of the most encouraging weekends of the team’s modern era, after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri converted strong pace and a well‑executed upgrade package into a double podium.
Norris finished second after leading a significant portion of the race, while Piastri charged back to third following an extended first stint.
Stella emphasised that the result was not only a reward for the team’s recent development push, but also a clear marker of McLaren’s growing competitiveness in a tightly packed field.
“This was a very positive weekend for the entire team, and while you always want to convert a race lead into a victory, we are delighted with a double podium. It’s a strong result that gives us a great sense of encouragement and satisfaction.”
He stressed how far McLaren have come since the start of the season, noting that the team’s Miami performance — including a Sprint Qualifying pole, a Sprint Race 1‑2, and a double podium — reflects the scale of their progress.
“We shouldn’t forget where we started from this season: to have a weekend with a Sprint Quali Pole position, a Sprint Race 1‑2 and a double podium today fighting for the victory until the last few laps shows the incredible progress we are making together as a team. This outcome doesn't change our positive momentum; it reinforces it.”
Upgrades deliver as expected — but execution margins still matterMcLaren brought a major upgrade package to Miami, and Stella confirmed that the new components performed exactly as intended.
“Our upgrades performed exactly as we had hoped, and I want to thank every single person back at McLaren for their talent and hard work that made this step forward possible.”
However, he acknowledged that Mercedes still hold a small but meaningful advantage — and that McLaren must execute flawlessly to beat them.
“We know Mercedes still has a slight advantage; a couple of tenths, and we really need to rely on a perfect execution to be in condition to beat them at this stage. We lost some small margins in execution today, that we will review and improve back in Woking ahead of our next race in Canada.”
Development race intensifies as McLaren prepare further upgradesStella underlined that the 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, with multiple teams capable of fighting for pole positions and victories. In such an environment, development speed will be decisive.
“The development battle will be crucial this season with four teams in condition to fight for Pole position and victories.”
He confirmed that McLaren’s upgrade pipeline remains active, with new parts scheduled for the next several rounds: "Our development pathway has lots in the pipeline, with parts planned for Canada and a few more in Monaco, and Spain.”
For Stella, Miami was not an isolated high point but a sign that McLaren are firmly in the championship fight: "We are in the fight, and we believe this sets the stage for a very interesting championship battle for the fans and Formula 1.”