Born and raised in Orvieto, in the Umbria region of central Italy, Stella studied aerospace engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, graduating in 1997. He then completed a doctorate in mechanical engineering, with his experimental research focused on the fluid dynamics of flames, finishing in 2000.
Stella began his Formula One career at Ferrari in 2000, joining as a performance engineer for the test team. He moved into the race programme to serve as performance engineer for Michael Schumacher during the German driver's most dominant period, from 2002 to 2006, a stretch that encompassed three of Schumacher's five world championships. Stella then transitioned to the same role for Kimi Räikkönen from 2007 to 2008.
In 2009 he stepped up to become Räikkönen's race engineer, a role that placed him in direct trackside command of strategy and car set-up during race weekends. From 2010 to 2014 he held the same position for Fernando Alonso, one of the most technically demanding drivers of his generation. During those five seasons Alonso finished as runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship three times, each time losing to Sebastian Vettel. The working relationship between Stella and Alonso became one of the more celebrated engineer-driver partnerships of the era.
In 2006, Stella also worked briefly with Valentino Rossi when the MotoGP champion tested with Ferrari in connection with a possible move to Formula One.
Stella joined McLaren in 2015 as head of race operations, overseeing the logistics and execution of the team's race weekends. He was promoted to performance director in 2018, taking a broader technical and strategic remit, and became racing director in 2019. In this last role he formed a three-person leadership group with technical director James Key and production director Piers Thynne, all working under team principal Andreas Seidl. The period saw McLaren gradually recover competitive ground after a difficult Honda engine era.
On 13 December 2022, McLaren announced that Stella would replace Seidl as team principal for the 2023 season. He took up the role as the team was in the early stages of rebuilding under new technical leadership and with a driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
In the 2024 Formula One season, Stella led McLaren to the World Constructors' Championship, their first since 1998, ending a drought that had lasted more than a quarter of a century. The team defended the title in 2025, clinching it with a joint-record six Grands Prix still remaining on the calendar. Across Stella's three seasons as principal, McLaren accumulated 20 race wins, 21 pole positions, 23 fastest laps, and 68 podium finishes.
Stella is married to Michela Di Eugenio. They have two sons, Edoardo and Federico.
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