McLaren team principal Andrea Stella sees the development of Lando Norris as a driver. According to the Italian team principal, the Brit has more confidence in the season after his title-winning battle than before. Oscar Piastri is meanwhile still going through a similar kind of development as his teammate, Stella thinks: ‘In the second half of the season we will see a very strong Oscar’.
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Lando Norris has secured his first win as reigning world champion. The driver crossed the finish line at the Hungaroring more than fifteen seconds ahead of second place Max Verstappen. According to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, winning the championship has given the Brit the necessary confidence as a driver.
“I am quite impressed with Lando, given the way he reacted in the first third of the season last year,” Stella reflects on the 2025 season, after the Hungarian GP. “There were highs and lows, there were some difficulties, there were clear lessons to look back on and learn from, and he took on the challenge. He worked hard, primarily on himself, but also with the group of engineers around him and the whole entourage; it was great development work, both personally and in terms of driving.”
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“What we see here (in Budapest, ed.) is simply the continuation of this trajectory,” Stella continues. “Lando has much more confidence; I think he is much more aware of the resources he has at his disposal while driving and how to use those resources.”
‘A very strong Oscar in the second half of the season’
Stella paints a picture in which Norris is further along in his development than Oscar Piastri, who is currently going through a similar kind of development process as his teammate did last season. “We have seen great development with Lando, and honestly that also applies to Oscar,” Stella adds. “Oscar is still adapting to these 2026 cars with little grip, and there lies an opportunity to find some pace. There is excellent collaboration between Oscar, his engineering team, and his broader team, so I think we will see a very strong Oscar in the second half of the season.”
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Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
