McLaren team principal Andrea Stella insisted Lando Norris is world championship material as the British driver prepares to go behind enemy lines at Max Verstappen’s home race in the Netherlands.
Norris heads into the concluding 10 rounds of the Formula One season as the only realistic contender to dethrone Verstappen. He trails the Dutchman by 78 points – the equivalent of three wins – with 284 points still to play for.
Yet, Norris might have been closer to Verstappen had both he and McLaren not fluffed their lines at the past half-dozen rounds. Norris’ latest mistake arrived in Belgium when he dipped his McLaren into the gravel on the exit of the opening corner and dropped three positions.
He crossed the line a place behind Verstappen despite starting seven spots ahead after his rival served an engine penalty.
It went down as another missed opportunity for the 24-year-old Briton, leading him to admit here in Zandvoort that he is making too many errors and that he has not performed at the level required to land his first world championship – and deliver McLaren their first drivers’ title since Lewis Hamilton triumphed in 2008.
But responding to Norris’ doom-laden comments, Stella said: “It confirms his style. He is self-critical and he tends to look at the half-empty part of the glass.
“But in reality, he has the potential of a world champion, he is performing at world championship level and he is definitely world championship material.”
Stella, who worked with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and two-time title winner Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, continued: “Lando performs at levels that I have seen in the past in some of the great champions I have had the luck to work with.
“He is on a journey, like the entire team is, and if we compare against perfections, then we do see some opportunities (to improve). But if the team had operated at higher standards, Lando would have more points in the championship.
“We appreciate that he puts some of the pressure on himself and he raises his hand and says ‘it was on me’, but I have enough experience to say, ‘mate, don’t worry, that’s on the team, keep doing a good job, and keep working to improve’.
🥇 Lando 🥈 Max 🥉 Lewis
Our top three in FP1 at Zandvoort #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/yP9Hale0lU
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 23, 2024
Norris was fastest in Friday’s first windswept practice session, finishing two tenths clear of Verstappen. He finished third later in the day as Mercedes’ George Russell set the pace.
McLaren arrived at Zandvoort with their biggest upgrade package since Miami – the event where Norris claimed his maiden win back in May.
Red Bull’s stranglehold on the sport is diminished with Verstappen heading into his home event in front of 105,000 expectant fans on a run of four races without a win – the first time has happened since 2020.
“Lando can win world championships, and that’s a statement that is in capital letters,” added Stella. “In terms of this year’s championship, we don’t give up.
“Numerically, from a driver’s championship point of view, it looks like there’s a big gap to fill – and we are chasing Max Verstappen, so he’s definitely not going to make it easy for us – but we are excited to be in this position.”
Verstappen has dominated his home race since it returned to the calendar in 2021, winning all three races from pole position.
The Dutchman, 26, will take part in his 200th race on Sunday. But when asked if he envisages doing another 200 races in the sport, he replied: “No. We have passed halfway for sure.”
