McLaren boss snaps back at Martin Brundle in ‘that’s not how you run a Formula 1 team’ claim

Andrea Stella and Martin Brundle side by side Sky mic

Andrea Stella clapped back at Martin Brundle when quizzed on “some uncomfortable meetings” after the British GP, the McLaren boss telling the Sky presenter that’s “not how you run a Formula 1 team”.

Despite leading the British Grand Prix and running 1-2 on the track, McLaren fell short in their quest to add a second Grand Prix win to their 2024 tally with Lando Norris third and Oscar Piastri P4.

McLaren team boss: Otherwise it would collapse and implode pretty rapidly

While Piastri’s efforts were undone when McLaren decided not to double-stack him behind Norris in the first round of pit stops, opting for the soft tyres for Norris in his second stop cost him.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Brundle told McLaren team boss Stella he imagines there must have been “some uncomfortable meetings” come in the Monday morning as it was a race McLaren “could and should have won”.

The Italian made it clear that’s not how McLaren operates.

“I’m not sure what you mean with ‘uncomfortable’,” he said.

“That’s not how you run a Formula 1 team. A Formula 1 team is not run by emotions, otherwise it would collapse and implode pretty rapidly, no?

“Because this Formula 1 is a rollercoaster and now the rollercoaster has more and more goals in a season, because it’s 24 [races] – so think if you run 24 events like that.”

He though, admits the British Grand Prix result wasn’t without “some pain”.

“For us at Silverstone, obviously there’s some pain, because we were in the lead, and somehow we saw that we couldn’t capitalise,” Stella continued to Sky F1.

“But we have a certain approach to missed opportunities. For us, missed opportunities are a way to grow, a way to understand where are our gaps to be world champions – and that’s where we focus.

“The focus is on the opportunity, on the growth, on how we can improve. The focus is not on the missed element of the opportunity.

“So I think, actually, the briefings were very reassuring and encouraging – we could consolidate our culture, which is a positive, constructive culture. And for us, this is just a position to be stronger next time… nothing that was too emotional, just constructive.”

The stats that matter in F1 2024

 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

 The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings after the British Grand Prix

McLaren still ‘under construction’ says Stella

Stella also made it clear that McLaren is a team that’s still growing and “under construction”, as he put it. Despite that, they’ve been the most consistent team of late with eight podium results on the trot.

“I think we the sharp end should be looked at from different angles. McLaren is the most consistent team, it’s the only team that scored eight podiums in a row, it’s the team that scored the most points in the last six races. We gained I think 37 points or 36 to Red Bull.

“So it’s very important when you look at things to understand which angle am I looking from.

“Then we have some missed opportunities in Silverstone on situations in which we know that we have some work to do, I said is a team under construction because it’s relatively young people and it’s also relatively young in relation to how we manage our drivers.

“So what can come across like indecisiveness, it’s just more preparation, more alignment, better planning, which is easy to address. So definitely we focus on the positive and all the opportunities.”

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