Andrea Stella believes that Lando Norris has reached a new mental level at McLaren after his exceptional qualifying lap in Madrid.
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Lando Norris ultimately did not win the Spanish Grand Prix, but his performance in Madrid deeply impressed Andrea Stella. The McLaren director believes that the 2025 world champion now shows an emotional strength that allows him to exploit his potential much more regularly, even pushing his own limits in decisive moments.
The Briton had approached qualifying with far from ideal preparation. Deprived of the entire second practice session due to a gearbox problem, he was still only in sixth place after the first attempts in Q3. His final lap changed everything: Norris snatched pole position from Kimi Antonelli by just 11 thousandths of a second.
Norris has reached a new mental level at McLaren
Norris has never hidden that he faced difficulties with his confidence during his career. He had notably openly discussed his mental issues during his early seasons in Formula 1.
For Stella, the McLaren driver has made considerable progress in this area. This evolution now allows him to better manage pressure and especially to deliver his best performances when they are needed.
“Lando has greatly developed his emotional resilience in racing. He is now able to access the best of his potential much more regularly and, sometimes, to raise his level even further.”
His pole lap in Madrid is, in Stella’s eyes, one of the best illustrations of this transformation. The Italian executive has considerable experience as he has analyzed data from hundreds of Grands Prix during his career.
“One of the most impressive laps” in 450 Grands Prix
Stella does not hide his admiration for the performance delivered by Norris. Given the context, the pressure, and the level of risk required to beat Antonelli, he even ranks this lap among the most remarkable he has observed in Formula 1.
“I would say it was one of the most impressive laps I have witnessed as someone who has analyzed data from 450 Grands Prix.”
The most surprising thing is that Norris could have achieved a much more comfortable pole. McLaren estimates that he lost about three and a half tenths in the last corner of his decisive lap. Despite this mistake, he still managed to keep an 11 thousandths lead over Antonelli.
“What is most impressive is that he took pole despite losing three and a half tenths in the last corner. That means he could have secured pole with a quite convincing margin.”
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Exceptional precision at the wheel
To explain this time, Stella does not point to a single particularly successful section. What struck him is instead the precision displayed by Norris almost at every moment of his lap.
Braking, speed maintained at corner entry, use of curbs, and throttle application were executed at an extremely high level.
“When you look at the data, you see the precision, the braking, the speed maintained at entry, the way of taking the curb, and the throttle application.”
According to the McLaren director, this precision was visible meter after meter and is the real key to the performance delivered by his driver.
“Everything was executed with a quite unique level of precision. For me, the main characteristic of this lap was this incredible precision in its execution, practically meter after meter.”
A victory that seemed assured before the VSC
Norris’s performance was not limited to qualifying. Starting from pole, the Briton had also taken control of the Grand Prix and gradually extended the gap before the virtual safety car intervention.
His lead of several seconds then turned against him. Norris had just passed the pit entry when the neutralization was triggered, while Antonelli and Max Verstappen were able to benefit from a much less costly stop. Forced to complete a full lap at reduced speed before stopping, Norris lost the benefit of his race start and ultimately finished third.
Without this episode, he seemed ideally positioned to claim a third victory in four Grands Prix. A momentum that further strengthens Stella’s impression regarding the level currently reached by his driver.
“I think Lando delivered one of the best performances of his career.”
Norris therefore left Madrid without the victory McLaren believed was within his reach, but with an important confirmation. After sometimes being criticized for his pressure management, the Briton now seems capable of delivering his best performances in the most important moments. And for Andrea Stella, his exceptional pole lap in Spain is perhaps the most spectacular demonstration of this evolution.
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