Team principal of McLaren, Andrea Stella, reflected on his team’s performance in the F1 Bahrain GP, and discussed the mindset of Lando Norris. A Grand Prix which saw Oscar Piastri victorious in his 50th race in the pinnacle of motorsport. This was the first win for McLaren in Bahrain and could have been a 1-2 finish for the team.
Unfortunately for him, a 5-second penalty for Lando Norris made that an uphill struggle and the British racer would instead finish on the third step of the podium in the Sakhir desert. Stella commented on the unique mindset of Norris which saw the McLaren driver bounce back after a disappointing qualifying.
Out of position
Speaking in a print media session, Stella was asked why Norris found himself out of position at the start of the race.
“I think Lando was just positioning himself too forward. I haven’t seen the images myself but our guys spotted that immediately. I think we are in trouble because they checked the stopping position but there was no time to act.
“So I think it’s just a misjudgment in positioning the car. It’s very difficult with this generation of cars to actually know where they are because you can’t see anything.
“But ultimately it’s a situation that cost us, I think, the second place with Lando. So, important championship points. At the same time, it gave Lando some more opportunity to fight hard. And fight with racing spirit today.”
How the team managed Norris’ mindset overnight
Norris had said the previous day after qualifying that he was “Just clueless on track at the minute…I just need a big reset that’s all”.
Having shown such racing spirit less than 24 hours, Stella was asked how the team managed Norris’ mindset overnight. His remarks to the written press post-race in Bahrain saw the team principal say that it was a twofold approach.
“On one side these guys have been racing for a long time. They know how to go through the process of having a disappointing day and being ready for the next day when you have to go racing. So, I think these are mechanisms that they have developed as part of their growth since when they were young. So they can re-energise and go again at a fast rate.
“At the same time around the driver there’s a team, there’s an entourage. We all try and contribute. Sometimes it’s a word, sometimes it’s a conversation, sometimes it’s a process and an approach. And you have to take driver’s management as part of running a Formula 1 team.
“To be honest I’m not adding anything special here. Since my early days in Formula 1 I could see, especially on Michael Schumacher’s side, how much work was going on around the driver to maximise the performance. It’s a business in itself within the business.”
Admiring the approach Norris showed
Stella explained that he admired the approach Norris showed in being so open about his state of mind.
“It is relatively unique how visible he is, how open he is,” said the 54-year-old. “He is quite self-critical. Other champions in the past, might go on about the problem being elsewhere. It is something important that I admire about Lando, and which makes me very privileged and lucky as team principal, that he absorbs the blame and points it at himself.”
The Italian team principal went on to explain how even if this is the perception of his driver it is not a fair reflection of the reality.
“He raises his hand, absolving the team entirely; ‘It was me, not the team.’ Which is entirely inaccurate. There were things we did that made Lando’s life less easy. We know what they were technically,” he added.
Immense pressure
Norris started the 2025 F1 season with the immense pressure of being a favourite for the F1 Drivers’ Championship. Having been victorious in Melbourne at the season opener the pressure inevitably continued – although Norris always said he would not be thinking about the championship until the summer.
Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri has been able to continue business as usual and this has seen the Australian driver victorious two times this season – most recently in the F1 Bahrain GP this past weekend.
McLaren certainly have the fastest car and with Jeddah next up on the calendar – the fastest F1 circuit – the papaya army will be confident of a fourth victory of the season for the team.
Their rivals become increasingly out of sight to the Woking-based squad. Even so, the same could be said about Red Bull last year but they did not claim the Constructors’ Championship despite such early form in 2024. McLaren know all too well how quickly things can change so there could yet be twists to come this year.
