Norris vs Verstappen: McLaren Team Principal Weighs In

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris could have handled his battle with Max Verstappen differently at the Miami Grand Prix.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris could have handled his battle with Max Verstappen differently at the Miami Grand Prix. Norris, starting on the front row, was forced wide by Verstappen at turn two and dropped to sixth place on the first lap.

Stella thinks Norris might have been wiser to wait for a better opportunity to overtake Verstappen rather than pushing immediately. This approach could have potentially led to a better outcome for Norris and McLaren.

Lando Norris made an impressive recovery drive to finish second behind his teammate Oscar Piastri at the Miami Grand Prix. However, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Norris could have handled the start differently.

“Lando was fast enough to challenge, but the start could've been managed better,” Stella noted. “The first lap, with hindsight, it would have potentially been wiser for Lando to lift and accept he would have gained the lead later on in the race because the car was fast enough but that’s with the benefit of hindsight,” he said.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen had another intense moment during the Miami Grand Prix, where Norris gave back a position to Verstappen after going off track. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised Norris for making the right decision.

Oscar Piastri overtakes his teammate Lando Norris for more career wins (6) in F1 👀

Piastri participated in 82 fewer Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/KjIzdlPzkC

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 4, 2025

“I think that was the right thing to do because Lando, in our judgement, was outside the track limits and you have to give back the track position,” Stella said. “That’s a little bit of bad luck but you have to behave and behave fairly. That could have been the risk of a penalty so it was the right thing to do.”

Lando Norris expressed frustration with Max Verstappen's aggressive start, which forced him wide. “What can I say? If I don’t go for it, people complain. If I go for it, people complain. So, you can’t win,” Norris said in his post-race interview.

Norris felt he had no choice but to run wide to avoid a collision with Verstappen as they battled for the lead at the start. His comments highlighted the challenges of racing at the highest level.

“But it’s the way it is with Max - it’s crash or don’t pass. Unless you get it really right and you put him in the perfect position then you can just about get there. But I paid the price for not doing a good enough job today.”