McLaren Backs Norris: “Keep Fighting Verstappen, Stay True”

McLaren’s Andrea Stella affirms Norris’ strategy against Verstappen, emphasizing a commitment to fair and sporting competition.

Lando Norris should not change his approach to racing against Max Verstappen, says McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella.

The McLaren driver has never been in contention for a Formula 1 title. However, Stella stated that Norris impresses McLaren each weekend with his ongoing progress.

“Lando is handling this situation of fighting for the championship in a way we admire.”

“He is now a very mature driver. Fast, with an ever-improving sense of racecraft. His attitude, his ability to learn from every situation, is something we can appreciate on an almost race-by-race basis.”

“I believe Lando is undoubtedly a mature driver, ready to succeed in this type of contest—one that involves battling against one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history, in my view—judging by the titles Max has won, which I think is universally acknowledged.”

“So we constantly tell Lando, keep doing what you’re doing; let’s keep improving all the time. Let’s become the best version of ourselves, race after race.”

The two title contenders have clashed three times in the last two races. Norris received a five-second penalty in Austin, costing him points, while Verstappen faced two penalties in Mexico.

Norris believes Verstappen is trying to disrupt his races to limit the points he can score. Yet Stella thinks Norris is managing his rival well in their position battle.

“When I say ‘keep doing what you’re doing,’ I mean it in a broad sense, but certainly also in a very specific one.”

“I think we learned something, for example, in Austria. We got a bit too close to Max, and it collided. The points we missed out on in Austria—after a real collision and being taken out of the race—are points we regret.”

“We don’t really regret many other points this season. Potentially Austin, where we still believe the final standings weren’t quite right. But we respect the stewards’ work. We tried to find a solution to the situation in Austin, through the right of review. That didn’t work out, so we move on.”

“From Lando’s perspective, I believe this is how racing should be. Lando also reflects our own values in how he races. We race fairly. We race correctly. We race in a sporting manner.”

“In the end, in this kind of close contest, there’s a third party involved: the steward. We trust him. I think in Mexico, it worked very well, and we had good battles after the FIA’s intervention.”