By Alan Baldwin
(Reuters) – McLaren have told Lando Norris he has no need to change the way he drives in the Formula One title battle with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, according to team boss Andrea Stella.
The Briton, often his own harshest critic, had told reporters before Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix that he needed to make changes to fight at the same level as his championship-leading rival.
Stella said after Norris finished second in Mexico, with Verstappen sixth and twice punished for track incidents with the McLaren driver, that Norris should keep doing what he did.
“Our conversation and our internal reviews have always been very clear,” the Italian told reporters.
“‘Lando — we like, we approve, we confirm the way you go racing. It’s not for you to go there and trying to find justice yourself’,” he said.
“‘You go racing in a fair, sportive way like you do and then there needs to be a third party, that is the stewarding, that will say whether some manoeuvres are correct or not. Don’t be desperate, (you) don’t have to prove anything.
“‘You go racing fair and square’. This is what we want from Lando, this is what Lando wants from himself.”
Norris is 47 points behind Verstappen, still the clear favourite for a fourth successive title given the substantial gap with four rounds remaining.
Stella saw positives on Sunday despite rivals Ferrari taking another big step in the constructors’ championship with Carlos Sainz winning and Charles Leclerc third.
The Italians are now just 29 points behind leaders McLaren in the standings.
“When I look at the incidents in the early laps of the race, there’s a little bit of disappointment because without that couple of incidents I think Lando could have fought for the victory,” Stella told reporters.
“Anyhow, this is just if, if, if. For me the important fact is that we have seen that the car is competitive, the upgraded car seems to be now on par with Ferrari at a track that we thought would be more in favour of Ferrari.
“So this is encouraging for the remainder of the season.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
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