(Motorsport-Total.com) – McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is convinced that Lando Norris has emerged stronger from his coming-of-age test in the 2025 Formula 1 title fight. The experiences from last season have led to better performances and greater self-confidence in 2026, says the experienced Italian.
Read more «Somewhat frustrating»: How Oliver Bearman evaluates the season so far
Although the current world champion only celebrated his first win of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Stella believes that Norris has become a “significantly more confident” driver since the beginning of the year. “I think what we are seeing here is simply the continuation of this development curve.”
Last year, Norris openly admitted that he sometimes lacked the final bit of self-confidence. Only winning his first world championship title at the season finale in Abu Dhabi finally proved to him that he can compete at the highest level.
This strengthened self-confidence seems to have carried the 26-year-old Brit into the new 2026 season. So far, Norris has clearly had the upper hand over his teammate Oscar Piastri – a reversal of the power balance compared to the first half of the 2025 season.
Norris is doing a “better job than last year”
“I feel like I am doing a better job this year than last year,” Norris said after his win in Budapest, McLaren’s first success of the 2026 season in the fight against Mercedes. “It has been like that for some time now.”
“That doesn’t automatically mean you win races. But today, when we had a competitive car, I was able to prove exactly that. I was able to go out, win confidently, and take pole with a good car. So I am doing a better job, and that’s because I have worked on many different areas.”
“Some things off the track with my team, others here at the race track. Many small differences add up – and today you see the result.” In the drivers’ world championship, Norris is in fifth place, with 36 points more than teammate Piastri in seventh place.
McLaren team principal “really impressed” by Norris
Team principal Stella also sees a clear upward trend in Norris. The key to his current form lies in how the Brit reacted to his difficulties in the first third of the 2025 season. At that time, he had to adapt both technically and mentally to align his driving style with the 2025 McLaren.
Read more When Kimi Antonelli really found out about his Formula 1 debut
“I was really impressed by Lando and how he reacted to the first third of last season,” Stella now says. “There were ups and downs, there were difficulties and clear points from which we had to learn.”
“He took on this challenge. He worked on himself, just like the engineering group around him and his entire environment. That was a great development – both personally and in terms of driving.”
“What we see now is simply the continuation of this development. Lando has become significantly more confident. I believe he now knows much better which tools he has at his disposal as a driver and how to use them optimally.”
Soon also “a very strong” Oscar Piastri?
Stella is also convinced that Piastri is currently going through a similar development process as he gets used to the new car for the 2026 season. Recently, the Australian beat his teammate in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix in early June.
Since then, the reigning world champion leads the internal qualifying duel, including sprint qualifying, 11:4. “We have seen great development in Lando, and honestly, the same applies to Oscar,” added the McLaren team principal.
“Oscar is still getting better accustomed to the 2026 cars, which offer little grip. There is still potential to find some pace there. Great work is being done between Oscar, his engineering team, and his entire environment. That’s why I believe we will see a very strong Oscar in the second half of the season.”
Read more Friday rule: Who has already delivered and who still has to skip?