McLaren’s Andrea Stella wore a pin with the design of Gil De Ferran’s helmet on his jacket during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

McLaren won its first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years as Lando Norris took victory in Abu Dhabi last weekend, and Andrea Stella has revealed a close friend of his was never far from his mind throughout.

Andrea Stella: Gil De Ferran critical part of McLaren rebuild

Two-time Champcar winner and the 2003 Indy 500 winner Gil De Ferran became involved with McLaren‘s rebuild when, in 2018, he took over as the team’s sporting director after Eric Boullier’s departure.

De Ferran worked closely alongside team boss Andreas Seidl under CEO Zak Brown, with De Ferran leaving in early 2021 having helped oversee the merging of McLaren with the existing Schmidt Peterson Motorsports venture in Indycar.

But De Ferran’s ties to McLaren remained strong, and he returned in 2023 in a consultancy role as part of the team’s restructuring following the promotion of Andrea Stella to team boss.

However, De Ferran passed away in late December 2023, having suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 56.

His loss was keenly felt at McLaren and, with the team on the verge of its first Constructors’ Championship success in Abu Dhabi, Stella could be seen wearing a pin of De Ferran’s racing helmet during the weekend at Yas Marina.

Asked for the reasons why as he spoke to media following McLaren’s triumph on Sunday evening, Stella revealed how De Ferran had played such a critical part in helping to mould the direction of travel for the team’s success by advising Stella on whether or not to take the role in the first place.

“The reason why I wear this pin is because of Gil De Ferran, he was the first person I talked to when the proposal to become team principal came across,” Stella said.

“Because of his friendship, because of his wisdom, because of his incredible qualities at a human level, his intelligence and he was, and he has always been, a great racer.

“He was the first person that I consulted.

“And to me, it was very clear that, whatever I was going to build, I was going to build it with Gil, and Gil has always been on my side. He was my advisor, and my personal consultant.”

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Both Stella and Brown have made it clear that there has been an ethos and culture change at McLaren in recent years, and Stella said De Ferran played a huge part in shaping that.

“If we implemented the culture, if we created the belief, if we were able to increase the standards to the level that was required, this is also because Gilles was part of the process. So it was easy for us,” he said.

“It was straightforward to dedicate our first victory in Miami to Gil – you may remember the board ‘This is for Gil’. This is for you.

“Obviously, Gil was always with us… I wear this pin all the time when I’m at the factory.

“And, for the final race, I needed to give a clear message to myself and to everyone that Gil was with us throughout the season.”

De Ferran passed away just a few weeks after attending last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with McLaren, with his death sending shockwaves through the team as Zak Brown paid tribute to the Brazilian following his passing.

“The news of Gil’s passing leaves us devastated,” he said.

“Gil was not only a dear friend but a fearless racer whose passion and determination on the track inspired us all.

“I’ve raced with Gil all over the world and watched him win some of the biggest races. His time with us here at McLaren Racing has been pivotal in our forward development, particularly this past year and the turnaround of our F1 team’s performance and results. His legacy will continue to shape our team’s future.”

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