McLaren boss urges F1 teams towards “reinventing” for better growth of the sport

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella suggested that he is open to "reinventing" certain F1 elements, aligning with the management's perspective and assisting in the overall growth. Stella also mentioned that teams should be open to changes during the race weekends.

F1 has witnessed significant changes since Liberty Media's takeover in 2017. Arguably, the sport has been largely focused on gaining more audience from the US and the Middle East. Apart from shows like Netflix's Drive to Survive and the increasing number of races in the United States, the sport has also modified race weekends.

Apart from the traditional race weekends, the Sprint Race weekends have witnessed a marginal increase in overall revenue with the elimination of two of the three free practice sessions and replacing them with more competitive sessions like the Sprint and two separate qualifying sessions.

While there has been a mixed reaction regarding this from fans around the world, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella advocated for this. Appreciating Liberty Media for the work they have done on boosting F1's popularity and revenue, he mentioned that he is open to reinventing the sport.

"First of all, let me take the opportunity to praise the work done by Formula 1, by Stefano [Domenicali] and the F1 management because they have certainly led the growth of the business, which we all benefit from," he said. "We all have a responsibility to sustain this journey that F1 as an overall business is going through."

He added:

"As part of this responsibility, we need to be open to reinventing ourselves if this is needed to sustain this growth. The success of the Formula 1 business at the moment should not be taken for granted. Not all sports are having this kind of success across the board."

Addressing the new fanbase the sport has gained in the past few years, the McLaren team principal also mentioned that teams should be open to bringing changes to entire race weekends, possibly suggesting openness to the idea of a reverse grid.

"We understand also that the fandom has changed, and it could be that there’s a need to review the way we approach free practice, the way we approach the entire race weekend. I think we have to be open to that."

Considering McLaren this season, the team has been performing flawlessly at the top. They lead both the Constructors' and the Drivers' World Championship, and are the favorites to clinch both titles towards the season's end.

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Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris can "smell" the championship, as per McLaren Racing CEO

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris celebrate a McLaren 1 - 2 finish in China, 2025 (Getty Images)

Amidst the strong season, McLaren is in a fight of their own. Oscar Piastri seemed to be the clear winner of the World Championship earlier this season, considering the performances he delivered against his teammate. However, Lando Norris has also picked up the pace in recent rounds, clinching multiple race wins and making himself a strong contender for the title.

As Piastri continues to lead the standings, his teammate sits in second place with just a nine-point gap separating the two. Commenting on the situation, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown claimed that both drivers can "smell" the championship, further reinstating that only one of them can win it.

"They both can smell the championship, and only one can win it, so I'm sure it'll be hard on the one that doesn't win the championship, assuming the other one does."

McLaren had already managed to win the Constructors' Championship last season, but Max Verstappen's early success handed him the Drivers' Championship. This year, however, there seems to be no other driver coming close to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.