Andrea Stella explains why he compared Lando Norris to Michael Schumacher after Dutch GP pole position

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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has responded to suggestions that Lando Norris might not be Formula 1 World Champion material.

The Briton has been Max Verstappen’s closest challenger on track this season, but Norris recently expressed his belief that he doesn’t ‘have what it takes’ to win championships.

Lando Norris has also been vocal about his unforced errors which have cost him victories, notably from the pole in Spain when he lost out to Verstappen at the start.

He is hoping that his latest pole at Zandvoort, where he out-qualified Verstappen by three-tenths, will be easier to convert into a win for McLaren and close in on Red Bull in the championship.

When asked whether Norris could become a World Champion, Stella made a comparison to Michael Schumacher when speaking on Sky Sports.

Andrea Stella makes Michael Schumacher comparison with Lando Norris

Stella worked at Ferrari during Schumacher’s dominant run to three Drivers’ Championships between 2002 and 2004.

He believes there are a lot of comparisons that could be drawn to how Schumacher approached his final title-winning year in 2004, and how Norris is adapting to becoming a title contender.

“I was talking with somebody yesterday about the step Michael Schumacher made from 2003 to 2004 from the sixth to the seventh world championship, and how determined he was after 2003,” said Stella.

“He was saying ‘I didn’t perform very well this season, I need to take a step forward’. And in 2004 it was just amazing. This is just the mindset of champions. We need to get better in every single opportunity.”

Lando Norris says he is making ‘too many mistakes’

Norris offered an honest assessment of his limitations when recently speaking to Sky Sports before the second half of the season.

After claiming his first win at this year’s Miami Grand Prix, he has not been able to convert McLaren’s blistering pace on race weekends into regular wins.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

Despite having the quickest car over Red Bull, McLaren has only won two races so far this season. McLaren CEO Zak Brown is optimistic that Norris can still win the Drivers’ Championship once they iron out their problems.

McLaren has also been criticised for their strategy fumbles, with former F1 strategist Bernie Collins identifying their biggest mistakes so far this season.