ZANDVOORT, Netherlands : McLaren team boss Andrea Stella expects Lando Norris to show his fighting spirit after the blow of retirement in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.
The Briton is now 34 points behind Australian teammate Oscar Piastri in their Formula One title battle with nine rounds remaining.
He said on Sunday that he would be going full-on to try and win every race.
“When he says he’s going to be full commitment… it just means that if anything he will try to extract out of himself even more from his incredible potential,” Stella told reporters.
“We know that his talent is immense and I’m sure this situation in the championship will give him extra motivation to try and extract it.”
Piastri has won seven of the 15 grands prix so far in 2025 with Norris on five.
Red Bull’s four-times world champion Max Verstappen has won twice, and was second in his home race at Zandvoort on Sunday, with Mercedes’ George Russell triumphant in Canada last June.
McLaren will be chasing a sixth win in a row at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, where last year Norris took pole and fastest lap yet finished third with Piastri second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Norris was second at Monza in 2021 and neither he nor Piastri have won there.
Stella said McLaren would remain neutral and continue to allow their drivers to race freely.
“We will give maximum support to make sure that he stays in the fighting spirit,” he added of Norris. “I think this will come very naturally and if anything we may see even a better version of Lando.
“Because now is the time to extract, if there is anything more, even more out of his potential.
“So I look forward to seeing Lando in the coming races. I’m sure this is going to be a great spectacle for Formula One and if anything its going to make the competition with Oscar even more interesting.”
