One interested onlooker was Stella, the Italian having spent a significant amount of his F1 career at Ferrari in various engineering roles, working with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
“Observing from a distance, I can say that I think how this has been reported, it was a great introduction of Lewis to Ferrari,” Stella, who moved from Ferrari to McLaren 10 years ago and became Team Principal in early 2023, told Sky Sports F1.
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“To be honest, as a fan of F1, by having been 15 years at Ferrari before, I felt excited myself to see something that is historic for F1 – a seven-time World Champion going to Ferrari, one of the most iconic teams.”
Stella is now fired up for what looks set to be a fascinating F1 season, as McLaren attempt to defend their Constructors’ title – having earned their first since 1998 last season – while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen targets another Drivers’ crown and the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes push to get back to winning ways.