Stella reveals McLaren’s biggest 2026 lesson after Norris’ Hungary victory

The McLaren team principal, who saw his squad return to victory lane for the first time since the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, highlighted the importance of unity and resilience as the defining factors behind the team’s ability to overcome a difficult start to the season.

Reflecting on the opening half of the campaign, Stella acknowledged the challenges McLaren have faced but praised the cohesion within the team, insisting that their ability to regroup and respond has been crucial to their recovery.

“I believe the most important lesson we’ve taken away from these seven months of hard work is that, in times of great difficulty, unity is strength. We’ve demonstrated, first and foremost to ourselves, just how crucial team cohesion is to bouncing back and getting back on track towards the top,” Stella explained.

“After three years of steady progress that saw us win three out of four world titles between 2024 and 2025, the start of this season has been a real reset. Not only because the rule changes were probably the most significant ever in the history of this sport, but above all because we realised just how heavy a price we had paid for the effort we put in during 2025 to secure the world double,” he added.

The 55-year-old admitted McLaren could have easily fallen apart or searched for excuses following their early struggles, but instead, the team focused on identifying their weaknesses and finding solutions.

“We could have fallen apart; we could have found excuses for not being able to start the championship as we’d finished the previous one, but that wasn’t the case. We tried to understand the technical and strategic reasons, and we focused our efforts. And that makes me truly proud of this team,” Stella concluded.

The start of the 2026 campaign proved particularly difficult for McLaren, with the papaya outfit suffering a double DNS at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the team have gradually recovered throughout the season, culminating in a perfectly executed victory at the Hungaroring last time out.

Despite McLaren’s challenging start, Stella is not ready to abandon the team’s ambitions of securing a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship, although he admitted their title hopes will depend heavily on the development battle over the remainder of the season.

At the halfway point of the championship, the Woking-based team sit third in the Constructors’ standings, trailing Mercedes by 159 points and Ferrari by 87, with 11 races still remaining. While the deficit presents a significant challenge, McLaren remain confident their campaign is far from over.

Asked whether a title challenge remains a realistic objective, Stella acknowledged the scale of the task ahead but insisted McLaren’s chances will depend on their ability to continue building on the performance level they displayed in Hungary. The Italian stressed that the development race will be decisive in the second half of the season, with McLaren needing to deliver effective upgrades while ensuring they can match the progress being made by their rivals.