System 1 | Stella explains Sanchez’s quick exit: ‘Three months in F1 is a long time’

Andrea Stella is satisfied that McLaren F1 has succeeded in creating its three-headed model in the technical department, and the departure of David Sanchez has not changed anything.

Indeed, the director of the Woking team confirms that the design will remain the same, despite the fact that the engineer has left. The Frenchman is expected to lead the technical department of Alpine F1 (news read here).

“We all agree that the model itself is very valid, we are very happy to have three dimensions: aerodynamics, engineering and performance, It works very well” Stella explained.

“But when it comes to finding a technical setup, you also have to make sure it plays to the players’ strengths. We’ve had discussions with David about this and we’ve recognized and recognized that his level of experience, expertise and skill is potentially greater than the position he played at McLaren.”

The quick turnaround that Sanchez left McLaren came as a surprise, but Stella is not surprised: “Three months in the normal industry is not a long time, but in Formula 1 it is a long time. Waiting three more months can put you behind the schedule and some of the work of the car of the year “next time or for the work you are doing. should already do on the 2026 car.”

“And that’s good for David too, to give him a good chance somewhere else to have bigger responsibilities, three months can make a difference. So we thought that was a good time and we concluded amicably that it was the right thing to do. And I wish him all the best in his endeavours.” his future.”

In addition to the arrival and then departure of Sanchez, Stella wants to be sure about the recruitment potential of his team, and assures that there are many new recruits in Woking: “The news about David is part of the news.”

“The big news for McLaren is that we have an updated and improved technical set-up which I believe puts McLaren in a better position than ever. The new hires are not only for some senior leaders, but we’ve actually added a lot of technical people at McLaren.”

“This is what we call internally the extra power. What we have done in these first three months is to find the right connection between the technical journey we started last year. “The last power and this extra power.”