Boss supports Norris in light of 'weakness' criticism.

      "He brings it to light"

      McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has come to the defense of championship leader Lando Norris. While Bahrain polesitter and victor Oscar Piastri is seen as calm and composed, teammate Norris often falls into distress and self-criticism after what Stella acknowledges was a "sloppy" weekend for the British driver. However, Stella, who has worked with champions such as Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, and Fernando Alonso, believes Norris is fundamentally similar to them.

      "I have yet to encounter any professional athlete, particularly F1 drivers or even world champions, who feel completely at ease in situations where they want to make adjustments to the car, but it doesn’t respond as expected," the Italian remarked. "It's an uncomfortable scenario, but Lando's approach to it is not unlike that of other champions I've observed in the past. If anything, Lando exhibits more style."

      Stella does acknowledge that the 25-year-old is "relatively unique" in his public openness, which is often criticized as a sign of mental fragility. "He brings it to light," he explained. "He's extremely self-critical during interviews. I know of other champions who would quickly place the blame on others."

      Stella mentioned that Norris' tendency to "absorb" mistakes and "attribute fault to himself" is actually beneficial for the team. "For instance, in Q3, he didn't finish the lap and immediately raised his hand, even though we know we had made some adjustments to the car that complicated things for him," he noted. "There are drivers who, as soon as issues arise, blame the team. That mindset is unhealthy. It's not something you can build upon."

      Norris also defended himself, clarifying that what the public perceives as weakness is merely "an outlet for frustration when I haven’t achieved what I wanted to achieve." "It's my deep desire to perform well and my immense ambition to win," he continued. "That's just who I am. However, I don’t believe that the things I express have a negative effect on me. I've handled this my whole life and I know how to shut out negative comments."