McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is the latest to congratulate Max Verstappen on his fourth world title. According to the Italian, Formula 1 is “in the era of Max Verstappen”, and the Dutchman proves his greatness with his championship win this year. Stella is also proud of how his own driver, Lando Norris, was able to compete against the Red Bull driver.
In 2024, Lando Norris truly fought for the title for the first time in his Formula 1 career. The battle officially ended in Las Vegas when Max Verstappen was crowned world champion for the fourth time. For McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, Verstappen’s hard-fought championship this season confirms “that we are in the era of Max Verstappen.”
The Italian heartily congratulates his competitor. “Max is one of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1,” Stella told the media in Las Vegas. “(The fourth world title) is almost a milestone for him, because in the past, like last year, people might have thought it was easy to win races if you have the best car. But it’s never easy to win so consistently. There are always so many reasons why it can go wrong.
Pride in Norris
Stella is well aware that after a year in which McLaren was able to compete for both world titles for the first time in a long while, things were also good. Throughout the entire 2024 season, Lando Norris repeatedly put pressure on Verstappen, but there were also times when things went wrong for the British driver. For instance, Norris spoiled his pole position during the Spanish Grand Prix, and he overtook Verstappen off the track during the race in Austin. Nevertheless, Stella is proud of how the young driver was able to compete with the Dutchman. “Eighteen months ago, this was an unthinkable achievement.”
“When we look at Lando’s adjustments to even be able to fight wheel-to-wheel with Max, I think from where he was in Austria to where he was in Austin, there was a clear upward trend,” the team boss continues. “The following week in Mexico, he learned so quickly. I am very proud of how quickly Lando picks up the pace and is becoming an increasingly better driver.”
