A win Norris refuses to oversell
Lando Norris crossed the line almost 15 seconds clear of Max Verstappen in Sao Paulo. By Monday he was the one pouring cold water on it. McLaren, he said, are “not at the level to fight for a world championship.”
It was Norris’s third win from pole this season, and McLaren’s first since the Dutch Grand Prix in August. The new wings and floor parts brought to Interlagos worked straight away. “If we didn’t bring them, we’d be further behind,” he said. “But it’s still not enough.”
He was just as frank about the race itself. Kimi Antonelli spun while leading, and George Russell spun in the pit lane, and Norris admits both gifts stretched his margin. In mixed conditions, he argued, results come from strategy, clean stops and avoiding errors rather than raw pace alone.
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Stella’s view, and the 2027 question
Team principal Andrea Stella had no such reservations about the driver. He called Norris “at the top of his game” and singled out his feel for grip on a track somewhere between dry and wet, the stretch of the race where Norris gained most on his rivals.
The harder part is the table. McLaren slipped behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull after the European swing, and Norris never got a serious title defence going this year. Mercedes wrapped up the constructors’ crown in Brazil. Norris wants the gap closed faster, and said the team is “getting there slowly” but is not yet confident in its package.
Formula 1 moves to Las Vegas on November 20 to 22.
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