McLaren highlights key trait that places Lando Norris among F1’s elite

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has highlighted Lando Norris’ adaptability in mixed conditions as a quality that establishes him among the best drivers in Formula 1 after his commanding victory in last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris shone during a rain-hit weekend in Brazil, beating the Mercedes duo to pole position and then converting it into a relatively dominant 14-second winning margin.

McLaren boss hails Lando Norris after Brazilian GP win

The Briton relinquished the lead to Kimi Antonelli at the start on a damp track, but he regained the place on Lap 20 when the Italian spun at Turn 1 on a drying surface.

And while Max Verstappen threatened to pose a problem once the Dutchman had clawed his way up to second from 21st place on the grid, Norris pulled clear when another downpour arrived in the closing stages to prevail for the second year running.

Despite having been dethroned as world champion a week earlier by Antonelli, Stella believes Norris’ drive at a low-grip Interlagos consolidated his place amongst the elite.

“When Lando operates at his best, he’s definitely one of the best drivers on the grid,” he said.

“We have seen that in these conditions. Like yesterday, it is not the first time that when you have mixed variable conditions, he is one of the fastest in finding the limit. And you have seen this today as well. When the track was in the middle between dry and wet, it was when he was probably gaining most throughout the race on anybody else.

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“So I think he’s very sensitive in understanding how much grip is available and, I would say, even complete as a driver, despite still [having] many years ahead of him, from a technical point of view in terms of understanding how to deploy his tools to use the grip that is available or to adapt to the balance of the car.

“You’re never going to have a really perfect car. You’re never going to have the perfect conditions. So adaptability is actually probably the most important feature that you may want to possess as a driver.

“I think that’s one that should be definitely acknowledged and recognised for Lando. When there’s a need to understand what’s best, how to operate, he is definitely a master.”

Norris’ third win of the season coincided with McLaren introducing new upgrades. But Stella has acknowledged that the Woking-based squad still has room to improve the car and the successor to the MCL40, particularly when it comes to driveability.

“And hopefully, let me say, we don’t need to rely on these qualities,” the Italian continued regarding Norris’ skillset in the wet.

“We just want to make sure that we can offer Lando and Oscar [Piastri] a competitive car such that they can just drive a little bit more easily because still our car remains pretty difficult.”

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