Lando Norris lifted in Abu Dhabi last weekend his first Formula 1 world championship trophy, but according to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, the roots of the Briton’s breakthrough stretch back much further than this season’s decisive moments.
Stella believes that the way Norris weathered McLaren’s early-season troubles – and how he channeled those struggles into personal and professional growth – became a defining catalyst on his road to the title.
Norris had already shown in 2024 that he could live in Max Verstappen’s mirrors, but the following season demanded even more from him. With Red Bull experiencing inconsistency and team-mate Oscar Piastri rising rapidly, Norris needed to evolve at a pace that matched McLaren’s title ambitions.
Stella says that very evolution is exactly what transformed him from contender to champion.
Both McLaren drivers ended the season comfortably above the 400-point mark, separated by only a handful of results. Yet within those numbers, Stella insists, lies the real story of Norris’s transformation.
Turning Struggles into Strength
Stella reflected on the extraordinary level required to fight at the front, and eventually to succeed.
“The level of Formula 1 drivers nowadays is so high that you cannot succeed – and for clarity, when we talk about succeeding, it's so close in the classification, and even between Lando and Oscar, they are two worthwhile champions, and it was a matter of a few points in the end when you scored more than 400 points,” the Italian explained.
“But to compete at this level, the only way to stay in the quest is to keep evolving continuously.”
Stella believes Norris’s self-belief sharpened during his 2024 title chase, despite coming up short.
“And if I look at Lando, definitely there was a lot that was taken away from the quest last year, even if it didn't go to the last race, I think Lando almost elevated his status, like ‘I can compete with Max’,” he added.
But the real turning point, Stella explains, came when Norris responded to McLaren’s difficulties at the start of 2025.
“There were some learning points, like Austria, it was a tough one, but this season there was another important turning point in my view, which is the way Lando, and we'll talk specifically about him for a moment, responded to the difficulties we had at the start of the season,” he said.
Read also:
“There, there was the start of a process which was structured, it was holistic, it was involving the personal development, professional, driving, racecraft, and I think it makes me particularly glad that Lando could capitalize on this, because this has been something that not necessarily I've seen many times before, in terms of the amount of work, the people involved, and the rate of development.”
Piastri’s Rapid Development Adds to McLaren’s Momentum
Stella was just as quick to credit Piastri, who completed his third season with the team and continued to mature at speed. The McLaren boss highlighted how both drivers handled adversity – notably disqualification setbacks and missed opportunities – without fracturing team unity.
“This again is valid for both our drivers, [they became more capable] of absorbing a couple of tough moments, like when we needed to tell the drivers that we got disqualified, that was tough, because they had done the job, but we had not, and they lost a lot of points” he said.
“And in a similar way absorbing the fact that in Qatar we had a moment where we could have done better, but we never pointed the finger at the team.
“So there's so many aspects on which both drivers have grown, and especially this constant support to the team, not only is the one that makes me most proud of our two guys, but I think it's also the most important for the overall success.”
Stella’s message is clear: McLaren’s championship wasn’t just built on a fast car – it was forged through resilience, introspection, and two drivers committed to lifting the team with them.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
