Stella: Lando Norris should stick to his driving style amid title fight with Verstappen
Mexico City – Lando Norris has been reassured by McLaren that there’s no need to alter his driving style even as he battles for the Formula 1 title against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. This affirmation comes straight from team principal Andrea Stella.
Norris, frequently a stern critic of his own performances, had previously mentioned to reporters ahead of Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix that he might need to make adjustments to compete at the same level as the championship leader.
However, after Norris secured a second-place finish in Mexico—while Verstappen ended up in sixth having incurred penalties for two on-track incidents involving Norris—Stella emphasized the Briton should persist with his current approach.
“Our conversation and our internal reviews have always been very clear,” the Italian explained to the press. “Lando – we like, we approve, we confirm the way you go racing. It's not for you to go there and try to find justice yourself,” he asserted.
“You go racing in a fair, sportive way like you do and then there needs to be a third party, that is the stewarding, that will say whether some maneuvers are correct or not. Don’t be desperate, [you] don’t have to prove anything.
“You go racing fair and square. This is what we want from Lando; this is what Lando wants from himself.”
Norris trails Verstappen by 47 points, with the Dutchman still the strong favorite for a fourth consecutive title, given the substantial gap with four races left in the season.
Despite the rivalry, Stella highlighted some positives from Sunday’s race, even though Ferrari made significant gains in the constructors’ championship, with Carlos Sainz clinching victory and Charles Leclerc finishing third. The Italian team is now just 29 points adrift of McLaren, the current leaders.
“When I look at the incidents in the early laps of the race, there’s a little bit of disappointment because without those couple of incidents, I think Lando could have fought for victory,” Stella noted.
“Anyhow, this is just if, if, if. For me, the important fact is that we have seen that the car is competitive, the upgraded car seems to be now on par with Ferrari at a track that we thought would be more in favor of Ferrari.
“So this is encouraging for the remainder of the season.”
With four rounds remaining, McLaren remains optimistic about their prospects, buoyed by their car's recent performance upgrades.
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