McLaren started the year on the back foot with one of the slowest cars on the grid before the introduction of an upgrade package in Austria🌜 in July transformed the team’s fortunes during the second half of the campaign. 

The British squad emerged as Red Bull’s nearest challengers as they stormed back into contention, with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lando Norris going on to secure seven podiums, while rookie teammate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Oscar Piastri claimed a maiden win in the Qatarಌ sprint ওrace. 

A revitalised McLaren sealed fourth place in the constructors’ championship, beating Aston Ma🥃rtin, who had started 2023 as the second-fastest team before falling away. 

And F1 commentator David Croft believes Stella’s patient approach was a key factor behind McLaren’s incredible U-Turn in compet🌸itiveness. 

Speaking on the Sky F1 Podcast, Croft said: “I do remember this time last year, when he was announced as team principal, and Ted [Kravitz, Sky’s F1 pitlane reporter] and I might have had a conversation that went along the lines of ‘what? Really? Interesting. Slightly left-field. Not sure. Was no-one else a🐭bout and they just had to promote someone from within?’

“But I have to say that all the doubts have massively evaporated. For a man whose biggest strength is patience. Patience with his team and with his drivers and patience he then expects of those above him. If he gets that patience he then delivers fܫor the teamജ. 

“Hꦗe is a brilliant example of how patience is a word that we should all use in our daily walk of life and certainly in our career, because it went so badly for McLaren at the start of the season. They were slower than a slow thing. 

But behind the scenes they had identified what was going to happen and they were working to put it right. They didn’t just rush thing♚s to the track. They brought upgrades when they were ready and when the team understood the upgrades. When they knew how it was going to be. And it was an instant impact.”

Kravitz echoed Croft’s view, adding: "When he was racing director of McꦍLaren, all he needed to know were the 300 people or so in his group. When he took over as team principal, he needed to get to know the other 800 people that make up McLaren.

"He is not an extravagant, flambꦉoyant figure. He has done that with respect and admiration and kept everybody together at what could have been, after the early season disappointments from McLaren, a verಞy fractious and potentially spiralling time.

"But he's done a great job on the HR and that McLaren for large parts of the se💞ason was the second fastest car in Formula 1, arguably the only car that worried Max Verstappen in the hands of maybe Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

"Technical, once they got going, is very good. Leadership, I have actually got Stella a little bit further ꦦdown because it was his f𝔉irst year and he is a quiet man, softly spoken.

"Me𝔉dia and sponsorship, I've got Stella second, because while he's very good with the media, he will always answer questions, there is that Zak Brown above him who deals with the sponsorship, so it ▨is a slightly sort of split team principal."