McLaren’s Andrea Stella: “We know we’ve got work to do”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal of the McLaren F1 Team has admitted that there is work to do, as the team prepares for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Bahrain Grand Prix saw a number of issues for McLaren, with Oscar Piastri‘s Formula 1 debut being cut short after he had to retire with a mechanical issue and Lando Norris having to pit a staggering six times throughout the race after having a pneumatic problem.

Stella says he is pleased to see the adaptations to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, after some safety concerns were expressed due to a lack of visibility for the drivers in certain parts of the track and dangerous kerbs.

“The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a fast and sweeping circuit with some interesting features that provide a good challenge for the drivers. There have been a few tweaks to the circuit since we raced here last year.

“We are pleased to see adaptations have been made to address some of the safety concerns expressed, with better visibility for the drivers and smoother kerbs.”

The 2022 Saudi Arabian GP saw McLaren score their first points of the season through Norris, and Stella is hoping that will be the case again this year. The newly appointed Team Principal, who replaced Andreas Seidl, expressed that the team had the car to score points in Bahrain but reliability let them down, so their full focus will be on being reliable for the whole of the weekend.

“The team head to Saudi with renewed mindset and determination to get back into the points, which was possible in Bahrain without reliability issues. There has been a lot of analysis at McLaren and HPP over the past week to ensure problems are resolved.

“We know we’ve got work to do, but the team in Woking and trackside are fully focused on developments and ready to go again in Saudi.”