McLaren seized the constructors’ title away from Red Bull in 2024 and team principal Andrea Stella thinks the Woking squad also got their ‘missing piece’ from their rivals.
Only Red Bull and Mercedes had won the constructors’ championship since the 2010 season before McLaren returned to the top of the Formula 1 teams’ standings in 2024. Red Bull had also headed the field in the two previous seasons to become six-time champions since 2010.
Sergio Perez’s inability to realise the potential of the RB20 even meant Red Bull not only saw McLaren win their first constructors’ title since 1998 but also came third behind Ferrari. Max Verstappen scored 437 of Red Bull’s 589 points as McLaren posted 666 and Ferrari got 652.
Andrea Stella thinks McLaren made a ‘very important’ hire from Red Bull in Rob Marshall
Costing his team the constructors’ championship saw that Red Bull fired Perez, despite his contract for the 2025 season, with Liam Lawson promoted from Racing Bulls to replace him. The Mexican was not the only big-name departure from Red Bull in the 2024 season, either.
Red Bull confirmed the departure of design legend Adrian Newey and also sporting director Jonathan Wheatley in 2024. January 1, 2024 also marked the first day Rob Marshall spent at McLaren after leaving Red Bull to help guide the Woking natives under team principal Stella.
READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
666 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
652 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
589 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
468 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
94 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
65 |
McLaren announced in May 2023 that the team had convinced Marshall to leave Red Bull to be their new technical director for engineering and design. It was a big decision for Marshall to walk away from Red Bull, having been an instrumental part in Milton Keynes for 17 years.
Yet despite Marshall helping Red Bull win six constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles, his immediate impact for McLaren in 2024 exceeded Stella’s expectations. The Italian also believes Marshall was McLaren’s ‘missing’ piece ahead of F1’s 2026 regulation changes.
“Rob came with a wealth of experience, technical knowledge and a good reputation,” Stella shared, via quotes by Motorsport-Total. “We were even more impressed than we expected.
“That’s very important for 2025 and that will be very important for 2026. When I sit next to him and see how he works I say, ‘It was a really good idea to get Rob’ because he’s doing all the work for 2025 and 2026, and that’s a role we were missing at McLaren before.”
McLaren will rely even more on Rob Marshall ahead of the 2026 F1 regulation changes
Marshall was one of the major mechanical minds at Red Bull for their first period of success with Sebastian Vettel from 2010-2013, having played a vital role in the introduction of KERS. But his role with Red Bull’s Formula 1 project had begun to decrease before McLaren called.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
His influence on McLaren’s car would not have been immediate as the Woking outfit would have already developed their initial 2024 package before Marshall’s arrival. Yet Stella clearly feels Red Bull’s loss has been McLaren’s gain and it may set his team up for further success.
McLaren will also look to rely even more on Marshall’s input this term than in 2024 as they look ahead to the 2026 season whilst developing their 2025 package in parallel to the new regulations on the horizon. F1 teams could start developing their 2026 cars from January 1.
