McLaren boss likens Lando Norris’ championship hopes to former F1 stars

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has come to the defence of Lando Norris and linked championship hopes to the former Formula 1 stars. Norris found himself in an unusual and 'clueless' place in the qualifying session at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Norris finished third in the main race, with his teammate, Oscar Piastri, winning on a weekend he completely dominated.

Norris is known to be very self-critical publicly and accepts his mistakes, unlike a lot of other drivers. Stella, who has worked with various F1 champions in the past, lauds Norris's frank and straightforward approach.

"It is an uncomfortable situation, but the way Lando is navigating through this situation is the same as other champions in the past. If anything, Lando is more stylistic, like when you hear the post-qualifying interview, it is quite self-critical". Stella told the media

Stella also praised Norris for not blaming the team for his performance and unusual feelings while driving the MCL39. Stella came in full support of his driver and said that people are talking about the driver who led the journey of the team to the front and won them the Constructors' title after 26 years along with Oscar Piastri.

"Something I admire of Lando, and which makes me very privileged and lucky as a team principal is that he tends to absolve and point the blame on himself, like he didn't put the lap together in qualifying, and he raises his hand, taking the blame off the team, saying: 'It was not your problem, it was me. But there are some drivers that, as soon as there is a problem, the finger is pointed at the team, which is not healthy." Stella said

Lando Norris still leads the Drivers' Championship by 3 points ahead of his teammate as we move to the next round in Jeddah.

Sebastian Vettel praises Lando Norris after the Bahrain Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel has also come in support of Lando Norris after McLaren principal Andrea Stella. The four-time world champion feels that Norris's self-critical nature is something to be admired rather than criticised.

Norris was quite critical of his performance in Bahrain, even after finishing third in the race and securing a double podium for his team. The driver has been criticised for his self-critical statements after any poor performance.

"Heroism is fine but, it's also part of the heroism to just talk about your problems and your weakness. I think that's a great development to see and to witness and, you know, real role models. I don't think it's a sign of weakness. It might be criticised by some people, but if you look at the broader picture, it's just progress." Vettel said to Reuters

Vettel believes Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's relationship has been well handled by Andrea Stella, as both drivers look to fight for the Drivers' Championship this season. Vettel had a difficult relationship with Mark Webber during their time at Red Bull.