Andrea Stella loves the ‘noticeable’ difference working with Lando Norris compared to his F1 rivals

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Lando Norris has closed the gap to Oscar Piastri at the halfway point of the 2025 Formula 1 season after losing significant ground in the title race.

Prior to the last four races, the Briton found himself over 25 points behind Piastri after their tangle during the Canadian Grand Prix, in which Norris retired on the spot after colliding with the Australian in the closing moments.

Norris took full responsibility for the collision and moved on swiftly at the next round in Austria, where he won the race after dominating qualifying and leading almost every lap.

In the last four races, he has won three, either through misfortune from Piastri or a strategic masterclass. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes part of this is down to Norris’ mindset, which is something he thinks other rivals don’t have when speaking on the BBC Chequred Flag podcast.

Andrea Stella loves that Lando Norris is not quick to judge F1 team for problems

Norris is known for being one of the most open drivers on the grid when it comes to his struggles, while he is also an ambassador for mental health charity Mind UK.

Stella, who has worked with greats such as Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, thinks one approach has enabled Norris to address some of the errors that led to him losing valuable points last season.

“I think it’s across the board. Sometimes Lando sort of acts in a self-critical way and he makes it slightly more noticeable though, that all other drivers that make mistakes and may say ‘Oh, it was the team’s responsibility, it was the team that got the strategy wrong, or the car wasn’t well set up’,” said Stella.

“Lando tends to look at himself, which is something that we do appreciate very much in terms of the honesty that he deploys in his behaviour.

“At the same time, self-criticism is an opportunity to actually do better if you approach it in a functional way. And that’s what we do together. Thanks to the good conversation, thanks to looking at what we can improve together.”

Lando Norris showing trait that he has from Formula 2 days

One thing that Norris has displayed this season above anything else is an improvement on his consistency, something that he would often lack in his early F1 days.

F1 commentator Alex Jacques thinks Norris is now displaying an ‘undervalued’ trait from his F2 days which enabled him to stay as a contender in the championship.

Norris is now just nine points off his title rival heading into the second half of the season, but there is still plenty to play for in the title battle.

Most teams are not expected to make significant car development gains because they are focusing on 2026, but there is always the possibility that both McLaren drivers might collide again in the final 10 events.