Piastri arrives at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend yet to complete a single grand prix lap this year, but Stella said the 24-year-old has turned adversity into a show of strength that has boosted the entire team.
“Yes, I think this start of the season has given Oscar the opportunity to test where he was with his maturity, with his strength, with his ability to absorb adversity,” Stella said when asked by Speedcafe.
“I have to say that the team is so impressed by the strength that this driver is exhibiting, and I have to say passing on to the team, because when you see a driver responding like that to a second race in which he was not in condition to be part of it, then this becomes extremely motivational for all the team.
“So really credit to Oscar, credit to his own personal development, which is not only the development of a driver getting faster and faster, but also of a person getting more and more mature and strong from a mental point of view.”
Beyond Piastri’s individual response, Stella also highlighted the continued evolution of his relationship with team-mate Lando Norris, following their intense 2025 title fight that saw Norris prevail by just 13 points.
Despite going head-to-head for the championship last year, Stella said he has been struck by how the pair have strengthened their collaboration in 2026.
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“When it comes to the relationship between Oscar and Lando, I’ve actually been thinking about it because I see how well they collaborate,” he said.
“These guys have gone through a quest for a world championship, the drivers’ world championship, the dream of their life, and competing with one another, and now they keep exhibiting this level of mutual respect.
“I think this is perhaps something that we have helped them as a team to reflect and embed, but at the same time, and this is true for Lando as well, what I said before for Oscar, this is who they are.
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“This is also why they drive a McLaren, because it just wouldn’t work, the relationship between a driver and a team, if we didn’t share the same values, the same mindset, the same approach to racing.
“So, I’m personally very proud of Lando and Oscar for how they are collaborating at the moment and, just like I said before, if we had not had the 2025, I would say, ‘let me see once they become rivals for the championship,’ but we have had it already, so at the moment I’m just proud and happy with what they are doing for McLaren and for themselves.”
That cohesion has been evident even as McLaren works through early-season reliability concerns, including the double non-start in China caused by separate battery-related faults.
Stella said the team’s reaction in the aftermath has reinforced his belief in its trajectory.
“The way the team has reacted to the frustration of not seeing a McLaren taking part with both cars in the grand prix has been, once again, a way of witnessing the strength of the culture that we have in the team,” he explained.
“We said last year that the championship was won when we resisted the adversity…and in a way we kind of have the same belief this year.
“If anything, McLaren, at least since when I’m team principal right now, is in its strongest version as a team.
“I’ve never seen, like I said before, Lando and Oscar working so well together, and I can see that the pattern that led us in the last three years to just instigate such an upward trajectory, I can see that this pattern is forming up.
“So I think there’s all the reasons to be very encouraged looking at the future and, like I said before, hopefully we will start to see some improvements already in the next events.”
McLaren enter the Japanese Grand Prix with only 18 points from the opening two rounds of the season, 60 fewer than at the same stage last year.
There were encouraging signs on Friday, however, with the Australian topping FP2 ahead of the Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
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