P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has looked back on the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when the then-Ferrari race engineer endured his driver, Fernando Alonso, missing out on the F1 drivers’ championship in excruciating fashion.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella reflects on the emotional toughness developed from experiencing the most painful day of his F1 career, aiming to leave it as a part of his legacy in Woking. The team is striving for its first constructors’ championship since 1998 before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Stella, who was Fernando Alonso’s race engineer at Ferrari in 2010, recalls the agonizing loss of the drivers’ crown to Sebastian Vettel. This season, McLaren holds a 21-point lead over Ferrari, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locking out the front row in qualifying. Stella emphasizes the importance of staying present, drawing on his past experience and expressing gratitude for his team’s maturity and reassurance. He sees his past challenges as shaping his approach today and seeks to have a positive influence moving forward.
