McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has urged his team to “stay focused” despite Lando Norris taking a commanding win in the São Paulo Grand Prix, warning that the Briton “doesn’t own” the 2025 Drivers’ Championship yet.
Norris’ victory in Brazil marked his seventh win of the season, extending his lead in the standings to 24 points over teammate Oscar Piastri and 49 points ahead of Max Verstappen, with only 83 points remaining across the final three Grands Prix and one Sprint.
The McLaren driver has been in stellar form, securing two consecutive wins and four podiums in the last four races, while Piastri has not finished on the podium since Monza in September.
Despite Norris’ dominant drive from pole — leading all but 12 laps during pit stops — Stella stressed that the team is maintaining a race-by-race approach.
“The only way I look at the classification is to go one race at a time and make sure that we maximise the points we score,” said Stella.
“While it’s fair to say Lando has one hand on the title, he doesn’t own it. From a driver’s and team’s point of view, we must stay focused and execute weekends like we did here in Brazil and Mexico.”
Stella also acknowledged Verstappen’s pace, noting that Red Bull remain a serious threat after the Dutchman recovered from a pit-lane start to finish on the podium.
“I was hoping [Verstappen would pit] because it made our life a little easier!” Stella joked. “But honestly, Red Bull showed strong race pace. Without their qualifying setback, Verstappen could have been fighting for the win.”
McLaren will look to maintain momentum heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with the title battle still mathematically open.
