McLaren’s Lando Norris triumphs in Abu Dhabi, sealing the team’s first Constructors’ Championship since 1998. Team Principal Andrea Stella reflected on resilience, teamwork, and what lies ahead.
“Refusing the poison biscuits” became more than a metaphor; it defined McLaren’s journey to their first Constructors’ title in 26 years, capped off by a stellar victory for Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier this month.
Norris leads McLaren to glory
Starting from pole, Norris delivered a flawless performance, navigating early-race chaos caused by a collision between Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. Despite these setbacks, the team held firm, with Norris maintaining his composure at the front.
Carlos Sainz briefly pressured Norris, but the Brit’s consistency and McLaren’s strategic precision ensured he crossed the finish line first. Ferrari’s Sainz and Charles Leclerc rounded out the podium, as McLaren celebrated a historic achievement. 14 points was the gap in the end.
Andrea Stella is “refusing the poison biscuits”
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal, spoke candidly about the challenges of staying united under the pressure of a title fight. He highlighted the importance of resisting external distractions, famously dubbing them “poison biscuits.”
“Refusing the poison biscuits is one of the fundamental elements of checking and validating that the culture we have created is not only words but exists in real life,” said Stella.
“We will always have poison biscuits dropped in our camp, with attempts to create division, to break the cohesion that we have in the team. But we talk every day that we are not going to pick the poison biscuits.”
Looking to the future, Stella stressed the importance of maintaining a competitive mindset, even as champions. The Woking-based team will head into 2025 looking to end a 17-year drought in the Drivers’ Championship.
“It would be very naive, it would be very arrogant to think that because we have achieved something now, now we are perfect, now we can relax. The best philosophy is that you start like if you had lost. And that’s what we are going to do in preparation for next season.”
A win for customer teams
McLaren’s triumph also underscored the success of customer teams in Formula 1. Stella praised the FIA for ensuring parity between customer and works power units. He explained, “Thanks to the regulations, thanks to the good work that the FIA have done in terms of creating parity as to the way the engine is used between customer and works teams, we are pretty relaxed that the performance of the customer power units is as good as the works teams.”
Stella also acknowledged McLaren’s strong partnership with Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP).
“We have a very good relationship with HPP, very open dialogue, and while we appreciate and acknowledge that ultimately it’s always going to be MGP, Mercedes, that will have the final say as to layout solutions, the dialogue with HPP is good. This victory proves that customer teams can win races and championships without having to be a works team.”
As McLaren savours its historic milestone, Stella’s focus has already shifted to the upcoming season. With Norris and Piastri forming one of the grid’s strongest line-ups, McLaren is determined to build on this success and continue refusing the “poison biscuits” that might disrupt their momentum.
