Despite His Failure to Win a Race, McLaren Boss Sees Lando Norris at the Same Level as Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso

Lando Norris has had a decent couple of races recently, as he has clinched three consecutive podiums. While the Briton has been consistent in fighting for podiums, it is the race win that eludes him. Moreover, with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri registering a win in the sprint in Qatar before Norris, it just adds more pressure on the 23-year-old to deliver.

Despite Norris’ failure to win a race in his fifth season now, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella yet believes that the Bristol-born driver is at the same level as Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

The Italian is well aware of how good both Schumacher and Alonso were, having worked with them at Ferrari during his initial years in F1. The 52-year-old was the performance engineer for the German between 2002 and 2006 before taking on the role of race engineer for the Spaniard between 2010 and 2014.

Stella views Norris at the same level as Schumacher and Alonso

While speaking on the most recent episode of F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Andrea Stella explained how he sees immense potential in Lando Norris. Having worked alongside Norris every year since the Briton made his debut with McLaren in 2019, Stella is aware of how good the 23-year-old is as a race driver. As a result, he did not hesitate in making some audacious claims.

THREE PODIUMS IN A ROW BABY! pic.twitter.com/VsPJqSlzQp

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) October 9, 2023

Stella said (as quoted by formule1.nl), “When it comes to pure speed, Lando can already compete with Schumacher or Alonso. All the ingredients to ultimately become as successful as those drivers are present with Lando“.

While the Briton may have all the talent he needs to be successful in the sport, he still needs to get the monkey off his back by winning a race. Even though Norris has competed in almost five full seasons now and has still not won a race, Stella believes that the 23-year-old is unlikely to be frustrated because he already has the mentality to win.

Lando Norris expects to win races in 2024

While speaking in a recent interview, Lando Norris explained how he expects to win some races in 2024. The Briton stated in an interview (as quoted by Racing News 365) that he expects McLaren to make a “huge step forward” and be one of the favorites next season for wins.

“From mid-season or towards the end of next year, we will be on some circuits where we can enter the race as favorites,” explained the 23-year-old. Since Norris expects McLaren to be in a position to fight for wins next season, there is likely to be a more intense rivalry between him and teammate Oscar Piastri to get those victories.