McLaren boss praises Norris’ growing confidence after Dutch GP victory

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris is showing greater self-confidence behind the wheel, with that growing belief now being reflected in his results.

The reigning Formula 1 world champion claimed victory at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday from pole position, securing his second consecutive win and the 13th victory of his career.

However, Norris had to fight for the result after losing the lead during a restart before eventually overtaking Mercedes’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Despite the victory, Norris remains 83 points behind the championship leader, although he continues to reduce the deficit.

Norris Showing Greater Self-Belief

Stella highlighted Norris’ move on Antonelli as evidence of the Briton’s growing confidence.

“I would say that definitely he is now expressing a higher level of assertiveness,” Stella told reporters at Zandvoort.

“The manoeuvre to pass Antonelli I think is a really good demonstration of that. He is demonstrating more self-confidence.”

According to Stella, confidence does not always mean being aggressive. Sometimes, he believes, it means having the discipline to avoid an unnecessary battle and trusting that another opportunity will come later.

“Sometimes you are self-confident when you think like, ‘You know what, I’m not going to have a fight now because I may lose in this fight. It’s a very long race, see you at the end,'” Stella explained.

The McLaren boss said Norris is increasingly comfortable making those decisions and trusting his ability to recover later in a race.

He pointed to the Hungarian Grand Prix and Dutch GP as examples of Norris losing the advantage of pole position without allowing the setbacks to affect his confidence.

“I think assertiveness and confidence are probably the two characteristics that he has improved the most from a non-technical, non-operational point of view,” Stella added.

Norris Continuing to Develop

Norris has previously spoken about the challenges presented by the new generation of Formula 1 cars, saying they can be difficult to drive and have forced him to adapt his style.

The Briton also credited his own performance for Sunday’s victory, maintaining that drivers can still make a significant difference despite the importance of the machinery.

Stella agreed, saying Norris is increasingly driving like a champion and continuing to improve from race to race.

The McLaren boss believes that development began early in 2025, when something appeared to click for Norris.

“I think this approach has led Lando to continuous improvements. It’s almost like I see Lando stronger and stronger race by race,” Stella said.

Piastri Endures Frustrating Dutch GP

While Norris celebrated another victory, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri endured a disappointing afternoon.

Piastri has now gone a full year since his last Formula 1 victory, which came from pole position at Zandvoort last August.

The Australian finished sixth in Sunday’s race, crossing the line 32 seconds behind Norris after a slow pit stop cost him a position.

Stella, however, believes the result did not accurately represent Piastri’s competitiveness throughout the sprint weekend.

The McLaren team will now look to build on Norris’ strong run of form while helping Piastri rediscover the winning momentum that made him a championship contender.