Following Lando Norris’ first World Drivers’ Championship win at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella discussed in a print media session how Lando Norris’ title-winning season as a driver compared to the ones with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen.
Before Andrea Stella moved to McLaren in 2015 and became Team Principal in 2023, he worked for Ferrari as Michael Schumacher’s Performance Engineer. They went on to win three World Drivers’ Championships together in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Stella was also Kimi Räikkönen’s Performance Engineer when he won the Drivers’ Championship for Ferrari in 2007.
Andrea Stella on how Norris’ season compares to Schumacher over multiple seasons and Räikkönen in 2007
Lando Norris’ Championship win was decided during the final race of the F1 2025 season in Abu Dhabi. With Max Verstappen on pole, the Brit had to finish P3 to secure his first World Drivers’ Championship. Going into the weekend, three drivers were in contention, Norris, Verstappen and Piastri.
After the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, McLaren’s Andrea Stella reflected on how Norris’ Drivers Championship winning season reminded him of the 2003 Formula One season with the German. The championship was decided during the final race in Japan. Schumacher Won the Drivers’ Championship by 2 points from Räikkönen, similar to Norris and Verstappen in 2025.
“I think as a season, I was saying before with Luca Colajanni that it reminded me, or reminded us very much of 2003. A season that ended up at the last race. It was a few bumps towards the end, and the whole season it was very tense and balanced, and that was the success of Michael Schumacher.”
The 2007 F1 season,where Stella saw Räikkönen to victory, also went down to the last race. It ended up with one point seperating Räikkönen in P1 and Hamilton and Alonso in P2 and P3.
“And then we had obviously the 2007. Once again we go at the last race, three drivers. So, there’s a few examples. A few situations taken from the past that I’ve been thinking about, I have to say during the entire weekend.”
Andrea Stella discusses the quality of F1 drivers now, compared to the older generation
Stella stated that F1 drivers nowadays are driving at a very high level becasue of how much data they had access to when they started out in go-karts. He suggested that this creates more competition becasue the quality of the drivers is higher, praising Norris’ success this season.
“I think when it comes to the quality of the driver, the quality of the success that Lando achieved this season, I think, and I’ve said that already before, the level of Formula One drivers nowadays is very, very high. Probably because the driver already, from when they drive go-karts, they have telemetry data, they are so well supported, and they’re just on pace. We see for some established drivers it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with the new generation.”
“This is also a team achievement” — Stella on Lando Norris’ Championship win
The 2025 F1 season was not straightforward for Norris. After losing the Championship lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri in round 5 at the Saudi Arabian GP, he didn’t retake the lead until round 20 in Mexico. The 26-year-old also suffered 2 DNF’s and a disqualification from the Las Vegas GP. Ensuring a close battle to the very end.
McLaren won the Constructors’ Champonship at the F1 Singapore GP with six rounds remaining. They finished the season with 833 points, 364 ahead of Mercedes in P2. Norris achieved 7 wins and 7 pole positions in 2025. He also stood on the podium 18 times, which is more than any other driver this season. Piastri drove a great season, scoring 7 wins, a majority of which happened in the first half of the season.
“It’s a very high-quality achievement. I think it’s also an achievement that beats Max Verstappen. Four-time World Champion, in a team that knows the game very well. So, I think it’s one that is very, very high level, very high quality, very prestigious. And like I said before, it’s also incredible that Oscar was so close to this kind of achievement, which I think testifies that this is also a team achievement.”
