– After a rather mixed start to the season with several technical problems and retirements, Lando Norris now seems to have returned to the top of Formula 1 – and at a “world champion level,” according to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
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“I think Lando is driving and acting at a very high level – both absolutely and compared to Formula 1 world champions,” explains the Italian after the Briton’s second consecutive win. “In my opinion, he is driving at a world champion level.”
“And what I like best about his path in Formula 1 is that he is constantly evolving.” Although Norris celebrated victories in Budapest and Zandvoort, the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli has already grown to 83 points.
However, this does not play a role in the current assessment by team principal Stella. “I would say that he definitely shows more assertiveness when driving,” says the Italian. “The overtaking maneuver against Antonelli is a very good example of this.”
McLaren Team Principal: Lando Norris “shows more confidence”
Indeed, the bold move in lap 53 caused great excitement. “He shows more confidence,” adds Stella. “And confidence – and this is interesting and I like it very much – sometimes does not show itself in being the most aggressive.”
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“Sometimes you show confidence by telling yourself: ‘You know what? I’m not going into a duel now because I might come off worse. It’s a very long race. We’ll see each other at the end.’ It’s this trust in your own means and strength that I like so much.”
Stella believes that Norris has driven smartly in recent races and has held back in crucial situations instead of risking a retirement. “You must not forget that in the last races he won, he did not defend his pole position,” the Italian recalls.
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Both in Budapest and Zandvoort, the McLaren driver’s start phase was not perfect, costing positions each time. “Nevertheless, I perceived no doubt about his confidence. He was fast and just prepared the right moment to actually use his competitiveness.”
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“So I think assertiveness and confidence are the two qualities he has developed the most – aside from technical or operational aspects,” the McLaren team principal sums up after the first half of the season about the current world champion.
Why Norris is better than Piastri this year
In the drivers’ championship, Norris is now 55 points ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. “Overall, I see positive development in both, but at the moment Lando understands better how to get the maximum out of qualifying performance,” says Stella.
Last year it was exactly the opposite: At mid-season, Norris hit a low point and had already fallen far behind Piastri. In the end, however, the Brit managed to celebrate his first world championship success.
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“If you think about the start of the 2025 season: That was initially a certain problem that he has now overcome,” emphasizes the McLaren team principal without giving details. “And when the car slides in the race and there is little grip – then in my opinion he is a master under such conditions.”
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