McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella says the team’s “confidence in terms of the championship is increased” after a commanding performance by Lando Norris at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Norris controlled the 71-lap race from start to finish at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, pulling 30 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. This victory marked his sixth of the season and returned him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, one point ahead of Oscar Piastri. Verstappen now sits 36 points adrift with four races left.
“The confidence in terms of the championship is increased,” said Stella after McLaren’s 13th win of the season.
“It’s increased because we have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions can dominate races. This is the most important factor to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the Drivers’ Championship. I don’t think it’s about mathematics.
I think it’s about competitiveness. And it was important to confirm this competitiveness.”
McLaren Ends Winless Run with Statement Victory
This triumph broke McLaren’s four-race drought, during which Verstappen had significantly reduced their championship cushion. Norris has also steadily erased the 34-point gap to Piastri that opened up after his retirement in Zandvoort.
Although Piastri could only manage fifth place in Mexico, Stella believes the weekend was valuable for his development as a title contender.
“Even when it comes to Oscar, even if he lost some points to Verstappen, I think Oscar has got a lot of learning from this weekend. And that’s sort of an investment that you make to make sure that you are competitive in every condition in the final part of the season.”
Norris’ Dominance Highlights His Strength
Stella praised Norris for delivering one of his most complete performances, comparing it to other standout weekends in his career.
“I think when we look at Lando’s recent years, we have seen a weekend with this level of dominance also in some other venues. Like last year, I think we saw it in Zandvoort. We saw it in Singapore. So, it’s not the first time, I think, that Lando exhibits performances at this level. He was very convincing. I think he was just essentially fastest in every single session.”
According to Stella, Mexico’s low-grip conditions suited Norris’ natural driving style perfectly, allowing him to fully exploit the MCL39’s performance.
“In a way, these special low-grip conditions, they fit perfectly his natural way of extracting lap time, which is almost like opposite to Oscar’s characteristics.”
McLaren Targets Strong Finish to the Season
Stella believes both Norris and Piastri have reasons to approach the final races with optimism, as the team now understands how to consistently get the best out of the car.
“I think it will just strengthen Lando’s confidence and it will be important for the final four races. But I think both Lando and Oscar go into the final four races with reasons to be confident. And I think the team also goes into the final four races with more understanding of how to extract performance from the car consistently.”
With momentum shifting in their favor, McLaren sees the Mexico weekend as a crucial boost in their push for both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Stay Updated for all the latest Sports News, follow Todaysmatchprediction on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
