Andrea Stella praised Lando Norris’s adaptability after his victory at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP for McLaren. The Brit converted pole into a win at Interlagos, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
Norris took pole in a rain-affected qualifying session on Saturday. He dropped to third at the start as Antonelli and Lawson passed him. He got the place back from the New Zealander a few laps later.
Then he took the lead when Kimi Antonelli spun at Turn 1 once they switched to slicks. He then managed that stint, more rain and returning to intermediates to win comfortably. The result leaves Norris sixth in the Drivers’ Championship on 246 points, three behind Charles Leclerc.
Stella on Norris’s feel for grip in mixed conditions
Norris has not fought for the 2026 title, but Stella believes few F1 drivers match him in changing conditions.
He said Norris made his biggest gains when the track started to transition from a dry surface to wet. In the space of four laps from 58 to 61, he extended his gap to Max Verstappen by almost 6s, making it 13.7s overall. The 26-year-old was on another level to the grid at that stage.
“I think there’s a lot of the answer in your question, actually. When Lando operates at his best, he’s definitely one of the best drivers on the grid. And we have seen that in these conditions, like yesterday, it’s not the first time that when you have mixed, variable conditions, he kind of is one of the fastest in finding the limit. And you have seen this today as well, when the track was in the middle between dry and wet. It was when he was probably gaining most throughout the races on anybody else. So I think he’s very sensitive in understanding how much grip is available,” Stella stated.
Stella on Norris’s adaptability as an F1 driver
Stella called adaptability the most important quality a driver can have. He said Norris uses it to get the most from an imperfect car.
“I would say even complete as a driver, despite he’s still many years ahead of him, from a technical point of view, in terms of understanding how to deploy his tools to use the grip that is available. Or to adapt to the balance of the car, because you’re never going to have a really perfect car. You’re never going to have the perfect conditions.
“So adaptability is actually probably the most important feature that you may want to possess as a driver. I think that’s one that should be definitely acknowledged and recognised for Lando. When there’s a need to understand what’s best, how to operate, he’s definitely a master.”
Stella on McLaren’s difficult car
Despite Norris’s win, Stella admitted McLaren needs to make its car easier to drive next season. He does not want the team to depend on his adaptability alone.
Despite the limitations of the MCL40 through the course of F1 2026, Lando Norris has taken four pole positions and three victories. His pole lap in Madrid in particular was absolutely sensational.
“And hopefully, let me say, we don’t need to rely on these qualities. We just want to make sure that we can offer Lando and Oscar a competitive car, such that they can just drive a little bit more easily. Because still our car remains pretty difficult,” Stella concluded.
