McLaren team principal HAILS Lando Norris for radio outbursts

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McLaren team principal HAILS Norris for radio outbursts

Andrea Stella views Lando Norris' unique style of radio communication as a positive

George Brabner

Friday 8 September 2023 14:57

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Andrea Stella has not denounced Lando Norris for his controversial radio conduct in recent races but has said his outbursts are “what champions do”.

Norris does not shy away from criticising McLaren when he feels an incorrect call has been made by the pit wall.

The Briton’s fiery side was on full display at the Dutch Grand Prix when he disputed his race engineer Jose Manuel Lopez’s claim that he was lapping faster on dry tyres than intermediate runners on a drenched Zandvoort circuit.

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He blasted Lopez over the radio, questioning “Are you f*****g stupid, mate?” as intermediate-shod Sergio Perez simultaneously blasted past on his way to the lead of the race on lap three.

Whilst Norris said he made himself "look like an idiot", McLaren team principal Stella defended his star driver in an interview with Sky Sports F1.

“He was frustrated because he realised that we were missing an opportunity by staying out one lap too much, and this is because the pit wall misread the situation.

“So Lando was addressing it, this is what champions do. We like this character, we want to be heavily challenged by the driver, and we can be heavily challenged because our culture is strong.”

Norris is part of 'strong' McLaren culture

Norris and McLaren were too late to react to changing conditions at Zandvoort

As McLaren looks to reinvent themselves after an upgrade package for the Austrian Grand Prix brought the Woking-based team closer to the front of the field, Stella said he would rather have a driver that helps push McLaren forward than sit back uninvolved.

“We'd rather have this kind of challenge rather than a passive driver that just takes everything and doesn't contribute to the development of the team. So for us, this episode is not a problem at all,” he said.

Important in McLaren’s “strong” culture, Stella was keen to emphasise that Norris actively made amends for his comments after the race.

He revealed: "We are very aware of that and Lando himself, he is aware that he came across as tough to the team but then he dealt with it immediately after the race, just with the quality of the person and the driver that we all know . "So, for the team, the matter is closed and overall, for the team, we have grown. So we have no problem at all with that.”