McLaren F1 News: Lando Norris Lacks Max Verstappen’s “Extremely High Standard”, Claims Andrea Stella

On the 25th of July, 2022, Lando Norris posted a photo with Max Verstappen on Instagram, captioned “27 race wins between us today!”. While the humor was appreciated all around, it hasn’t aged well at all. The Dutchman has gone on to double the number and now sits on 54 wins, whereas Norris is still stuck on 0. Andrea Stella knows why.

Max Verstappen had the best of the best seasons ever witnessed by any generation of F1 fans. With 19 out of 22 wins in 2023, he took the Red Bull dominance to a peak never seen before. On the other hand, McLaren had by far the worst start of the season, with the MCL60 being one of the slowest. But as the season progressed, so did they, and that too, by leaps and bounds. Norris became a consistent frontrunner. But what is that quality separating him from converting P2s and P3s into P1 like Verstappen does?

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Addressing the same, Andrea Stella told AMuS, “We have to say to ourselves: the combination of Verstappen and Red Bull is faster than us. We have to beat them. Red Bull is good enough to make these results possible. What we saw in most cases with Lando (Norris) and at times with Oscar (Piastri) was extraordinary. Where Verstappen makes the difference is that he can always deliver this extremely high standard. Even under the most difficult circumstances.”

Read More: Adrian Newey Reveals Red Bull’s “Aggressive” Changes That Helped Max Verstappen Script Historic 2023

For Verstappen, utmost consistency and robot-like perfection are the name of the game. While Norris is considered being the next big thing, a former World Champion shines a light on what is holding him back.

Jenson Button highlights Lando Norris’ major flaw

Lando Norris has been very evidently self-critical throughout the 2023 season. After the Qatar GP Qualifying mistakes, he said on his team radio, “I am so sh*t sometimes”. While blunt honesty might be a good thing for many people, vocalizing it in such a manner can be detrimental to one’s mindset. And 2009 World Champ Jenson Button thinks the same.

“Lando is an extreme talent, he really is,” Jenson Button told Sky Sports. “But also, he’s a real thinker, and sometimes that hurts him because he looks at himself too much and worries that he’s not good enough.”

Watch This Story: F**ked It Up Again: Lando Norris Frustrated Apology After Bad Luck at 2023 Monaco GP

Lando Norris – McLaren‘s World Champion in the making or a ‘What could have been’ – only time will tell.