Grand Prix

McLaren Boss Praises Team For Achieving F1 Success After "Call To Elevate"

Lando Norris made it two titles from two this season for the Papaya squad.
Ewan Gale|
McLaren Racing

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has praised the squad for 'responding to the call to elevate' performance after a double Formula 1 world championship success was confirmed at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lando Norris secured a maiden drivers' title by finishing third at the Yas Marina Circuit, behind championship rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.

The Briton started second on the grid but was overtaken by teammate Piastri as the Australian pulled off a sublime move around the outside at Turn 9, with the top three order then remaining the same.

Demons extinguished

Lando Norris, McLaren
McLaren Racing

Norris was able to hold off the challenge of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc across the race as the Monegasque pushed for a season-ending podium to ultimately beat Verstappen by two points in the final standings.

It exorcised demons of a lost drivers' title at the same venue for Stella, who was part of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari team in the 2010 fight between the Spaniard, Mark Webber, and eventual champion Sebastian Vettel.

"I was reflecting on this one while I was in the garage, taking a bit of a breath and processing it," Stella told Sky Sports UK in the aftermath of Norris' triumph, which adds to the comfortable constructors' crown earned.

"It made me think about 2010, where I actually didn't win with Ferrari here. It was a close gap even in that case and now it is two points. It can go one way or the other, it is just a matter of details. It came after a couple of difficult races, we made our life more difficult than ideal, but I am just so proud.

"Being proud of the team is my main feeling. Everyone responded to the call this season, the call to elevate again compared to last year."

The pressure to deliver the double came off the back of errors in Las Vegas and Qatar, which allowed Verstappen back into the reckoning, while the team's Papaya rules also came under fire.

"The demand has been huge - two drivers in the contest, trying to do it the McLaren way, trying to be fair and respectful - it has been a lot of work, it has been so united," Stella added.

"Even when there were bumps on the road, everyone was stuck on a culture of progress, a culture of trying to seek improvement and unity. It can go one way or the other, it is just a matter of details. It came after a couple of difficult races, we made our life more difficult than ideal, but I am just so proud.

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Ewan Gale
EWAN GALE

Ewan is a motorsport journalist covering F1 for Grand Prix On SI. Having been educated at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, and subsequently graduating from university with a sports journalism degree, Ewan made a move into F1 in 2021. Ewan joins after a stint with Autosport as an editor, having written for a number of outlets including RacingNews365 and GPFans, during which time he has covered grand prix and car launches as an accredited member of the media.

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