Andrea Stella said McLaren’s strong Miami weekend reinforced the belief the team can still defend its drivers’ and constructors’ titles, but he urged caution, calling the result “a breakthrough” and warning “it was only the fourth race.” He stressed McLaren must keep developing the car and framed Miami as an important step rather than proof the title defense is assured, and he said the team “definitely” intends to defend its constructors’ crown.

McLaren’s recovery followed a difficult start to the season marked by reliability problems and a double non-start for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in China. The team introduced its first major upgrade package to the MCL40 in Miami, where Norris won the Sprint and the upgraded cars produced a double podium in the Grand Prix, finishing second and third. After four rounds McLaren sat third in the constructors’ standings on 94 points, 86 points adrift of leaders Mercedes, with Norris fourth and Piastri sixth in the drivers’ table.

Stella publicly backed his driver pairing, saying McLaren “probably fields the strongest driver pairing” in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and arguing that if they remain consistently together they could pose a major threat. He also praised 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, noting Antonelli’s three wins in the opening four races, a Miami hat-trick, and a surprise points lead, and credited Antonelli’s driving, consistency and close work with his engineers. Stella acknowledged Mercedes’ W17 has outpaced McLaren’s MCL40 early in the year, underscoring the need to make the car faster to fully capitalize on McLaren’s driver strength.