Why McLaren's Driver Development Programme is unique in F1

McLaren's rich history

McLaren have a rich history in F1 as a team with eight Constructors' World Championship titles. The team are behind only Ferrari (16) and Williams (9) on the all-time list. The Woking-based team also have no shortage of great drivers. With names like Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton, Niki Lauda and James Hunt on the list, the team certainly cannot complain.

With Hamilton and Lando Norris, McLaren have also had two F1 drivers in the team who were self-trained. Hamilton was brought in by Ron Dennis, and Norris came in under the guidance of Zak Brown. Previously, McLaren did this without an official programme, but that has now changed.

"McLaren have a tradition of picking up drivers from a very young [age], very good ones, and helping them throughout their career. At one stage, they thought it was time to organise things in a better way and create a structure in order to scout, find, coach, and accompany drivers," Pirro told GPblog.

"Other teams have got programmes with different names. We use Driver Development programme. We deliberately didn't use Academy or include young because we have two quite senior drivers in Pato O'Ward and Alex Palou, and so we thought Driver Development programme is more appropriate because this is exactly what we want to do. So one thing is picking a good guy from a young age, but the challenge and what we want to be good at is developing him into and making him the new star."

Tailored guidance towards F1

Starting completely from scratch is not something McLaren need to do. Besides F1 drivers Norris and Oscar Piastri, the team already have more drivers under contract. Pato O'Ward (IndyCar), Alex Palou (McLaren reserve driver and IndyCar) and young driver Ugo Ugochukwu are already part of the new team. They will fall directly under Pirro's guidance. In addition, the team are also looking at new candidates.

"Our plan is to have some more but not many, so we go for quality versus quantity. Each one that we will pick will and must be a true potential shot for a Formula One driver. It really depends on the individual because nowadays, drivers have some people around them to help them," he continued. 

McLaren will look at where they can offer support on a driver-by-driver basis. For example, Pirro cites that Ugochukwu has the same people as Lando Norris around him. So much is already being done by his management team, leaving McLaren to fill the gaps. In other cases, McLaren may have to provide more support.

''It might be that we need to give more support, it depends on the class they are driving in. We want, and we will be, complementary to what they already have. If teams are already well structured in having their own engineers, we will try to fill a gap if it's necessary.

"Off the track, there's a lot to do to make a driver become more complete and more professional. When you have two drivers of equal ability, you can beat your opponent by being smarter, by being better prepared, by being a better communicator. We want to let them understand how a professional driver has to operate to become compatible with sponsors and good for teams.

"McLaren have a strong culture. So one of the reasons why we want to pick young drivers is to shape these drivers and make them become a real McLaren driver with the identity, with the concept, with the culture that McLaren have. I think we have two really good examples on board with Oscar and Lando."

How do you find a top talent?

Coaching talent is one thing, but how do you find talent? It is an age-old question that they must also ponder at McLaren. Although, as a former McLaren test driver alongside Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, Pirro could see what talent looks like up close, the 61-year-old Italian also knows that picking up talent is not a given.

"Of course, results are important, but if results would represent 100% the ranking of the drivers, it would be easy. You pick the world champion. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it doesn't quite work like that. There in comes your experience. I like psychology, and I like working with young people. By following them, by talking to them, by talking to their parents, to their managers, to read between the lines and see if this driver has got the package and the tools to develop in the correct way. Because like every human being, not only in sports, we are evolving every day."

"You can be outstanding at a certain age and only good at the latter stage of your professional life, or you can be good early and outstanding afterwards. And this depends on a number of factors. I think intelligence is quite important, but also will, commitment, a mixture of modesty and self-confidence. Because if you think you are the best all the time, it's not the right way to improve. I always ask myself a question, where and how I could have done better, even if it was a good weekend. And by asking yourself this question and giving an honest answer, you can see where your weak points are and where the points to work on are. On the other hand, you need some self-confidence. Because if you only look at the weak points, then it's also not so good."

To correctly identify those factors, there are also many more methods to measure these days. For instance, Pirro wants to map psychological issues with tests but also believes that a lot will be done by feeling. A driver can have many tools at his disposal, but it is ultimately about how he uses them.

Competing with Red Bull and consorts

Then Pirro himself. Five-time Le Mans winner, Italian and German Touring Car champion and multiple winner of the American Le Mans Series. Quite a CV for running a training programme. Passion spills from the Italian's face. He is brimming with ideas despite only just starting, although this career switch came somewhat spontaneously into his path.

"Andrea Stella is a friend and a guy I really like a lot. When he got his role as team boss, I felt I wanted to write him a genuine congratulatory letter, because I really thought this is really a great achievement for an Italian in a British team. And Andrea is a very modest, low-profile person who speaks with facts. Then he replied, and they had in mind to create something like this. And Andrea thought I could be the right guy, so we just fit. And I'm really happy. The way I am fits very much what McLaren needs. I have a history with McLaren of four years of test driving."

Pirro as the flagship of the Driver Development Programme

For now, Pirro is also proving to be a golden move for McLaren. Whereas Marko serves as a figurehead for Red Bull with his experience, Pirro also seems to provide the necessary attraction with his racing experience. Despite how modest the Italian is visible and audible, it is clear that with Pirro at the helm, talents are more likely to switch over. Several talents were already around the table for a possible deal, while factory teams like Mercedes, Ferrari and Alpine also have their own junior programmes.

"McLaren has got a Formula 1 team, a Formula Indy team and a Formula E team. So we potentially have three options for the driver depending on what suits them best. Which I think is an incredible asset. But the reason I said I want to be arrogant is because the drivers I talked to told me, because you are there, we believe very much in you, in the way you are, the experience you have. I have some experience and quite a good credibility, and people trust me in the experience I have."

The effort with which Pirro utters the words says enough about the man himself. Hugely modest. He hardly dares to say out loud that people come because of his presence, but that shouldn't be a secret. With experience as a test driver alongside Senna and Prost and five Le Mans titles, you would almost expect someone to get arrogant, but Pirro is far from that.

After the junior programme of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpine, Sauber and Williams, McLaren are now the seventh F1 team with its own training programme. With Pirro, though, they have chosen a clear leader, there is a clear plan for each driver and, with three different teams, they also have quite a few spots for talents. It will be interesting to follow who steps into this project and how soon we can welcome the first McLaren junior in F1. In any case, Pirro's passion and plans cannot be faulted.