McLaren boss drops Lando Norris tease after Dutch GP DNF heartbreak
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes the best is yet to come for Lando Norris.
Lando Norris’ heartbreaking DNF at the Dutch Grand Prix could very well serve as inspiration for the British driver to dig deep and find the motivation he needs for a late-season championship push, says McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
Stella is convinced that, despite Norris’ frustration at losing out on what would have otherwise been a promising result, the driver is in the ideal mindset to bring the heat in F1 2025’s final nine races.
Lando Norris prepared to come back better than ever before, says Stella
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
McLaren looked on track to secure yet another 1-2 finish during its dominant F1 2025 season, but the Dutch Grand Prix threw a major monkey wrench into the championship battle between teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Entering the weekend, the drivers were separated by only nine points, with Piastri leading the charge. Despite looking quick during practice, Norris lost out on pole by just 0.012s to Piastri, and after dropping to third at the start, the Briton had a bit of a long road ahead of him should he push for victory.
Sadly, the day ended in a DNF. Norris pulled his smoking MCL39 to the side of the track in the final stage of the Dutch event, forced to abandon a car that has otherwise brought him major success this year. Now, the gap between teammates is 34 points — meaning that even if Norris were to win the next five races, he would only manage to snag the championship lead by a single point.
More Lando Norris analysis from PlanetF1.com:
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Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, after the race, Norris admitted that the DNF has “only made it harder for me and put me under more pressure.”
However, he’s already looking on the bright side: “It’s almost a big enough gap now that I can just chill out and go for it.
“The only thing I can do is try to win every race. That’s going to be difficult, but I’ll make sure I give it everything I can.”
Norris’ statement highlights a driver confident in his own skills, but it also raised some concerns that Norris could adopt a ‘no holds barred’ mindset that could cause him to strain under the pressure. After all, the Briton has been clear about the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve, and that he has occasionally struggled to effectively handle the high expectations that come along with challenging for a title.
But there’s no one in the paddock with more confidence in Norris than his McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
“Well, we talk about Lando; he’s one of the most fair, balanced — in a way I would want to say trustworthy — individuals, before being so as a driver,” Stella said when asked if the team is conscious that Norris’ full commitment to the title could bring with it potential risks.
“So when he says he’s going to be full commitment, or whatever he said, it just means that, if anything, he will try to extract out of himself even more from his incredible potential.
“I look forward to seeing what Lando will be conditioned to express because we know that his talent is immense, and I’m sure this situation in the championship will give him extra motivation to try and extract.
“When it comes to the team, what’s important is that the team keeps racing in the same way we have gone racing so far: Staying as neutral as possible, facilitating the pursuit of their own aspirations for Lando and Oscar in a balanced way, in a fair way, in a sportsman-like way, and that’s what we will continue to do.
“I don’t think there’s any change in the approach of the team that is triggered based on the fact that we have this situation in Zandvoort.”
Stella is saying that the team will continue to operate with its self-imposed ‘papaya rules,’ meaning the drivers will be encouraged to race one another so long as they’re fair, with a lack of team orders imposed on them.
But given the disappointment of the Dutch Grand Prix, will Norris be able to accept that the team is operating fairly? Or will he grow frustrated?
For Stella, the answer is clear.
“Lando has already proven in the message that he gave from the radio while he was still in the car,” the McLaren boss said.
“He has already proven that he is processing the situation, and he kept immediately his constructive mindset. He said, ‘that’s just out of our control. It’s just a bad luck incident. Nothing we could do. We will keep fighting.’
“So he has already said himself — and I would be surprised otherwise.
“He’s a very mature person, like I said before, a very fair and a very balanced driver.”
The team is prepared to give “maximum support to make sure that he is staying in the fighting spirit,” but Stella believes that this situation will instead bring out the best in Norris.
“But like we said before, I think this will come very naturally, and if anything, we may see even a better version of Lando, because now is the time to extract, if there is anything more, even more out of his potential,” Stella said.
“So I look forward to seeing Lando in the coming races. I’m sure this is going to be a great spectacle for Formula 1, and if anything, it’s going to make the competition with Oscar even more interesting.”
The F1 circus returns this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which means Norris will have his first shot at clawing back the points deficit.
