ANDREA STELLA : BEATING MAX VERSTAPPEN MAKES LANDO NORRIS’ F1 TITLE WIN MORE SPECIAL
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris' 2025 F1 title win is elevated because he defeated Max Verstappen, calling it a "prestigious" achievement.
McLaren's Andrea Stella believes that beating Max Verstappen and Red Bull made Lando Norris’ 2025 Formula 1 championship win even more special.
Even though Verstappen won the race in Abu Dhabi, it wasn't enough to keep his championship title. Norris finished in third place, which was just enough to win his first Drivers’ title.
For most of the season, it looked like a battle between the McLaren drivers. Norris and Oscar Piastri had won 12 races between them in the first 15 races.
However, Red Bull had a big turnaround, and Verstappen, who was 104 points behind Piastri with nine races to go, got back into the fight.
But while Verstappen won the last three races, Norris and McLaren did just enough to win the title by only two points.
Stella, who has been in the sport since 2000, said that Norris won at a time when the competition is tougher than ever.
“Thinking back, the season really reminded me of 2003, which also came down to the last race,” Stella told the media. “There were some challenges near the end, and the whole season was close and tense. Michael Schumacher ended up winning that year.
“Then we had 2007, which again went to the last race with three drivers in contention.
“I kept thinking about these past situations during the entire weekend.
“The drivers in Formula 1 today are incredibly talented, which makes Lando’s success this season even more impressive.
“Drivers now have telemetry data from the time they start racing go-karts, and they receive so much support. They’re just naturally fast.
“We sometimes see that established drivers struggle to keep up with the younger generation.”
Norris Ends Verstappen’s Time as World Champion
Stella stated that beating Verstappen and stopping him from equaling Schumacher’s record of five titles in a row makes Norris’ win even greater.
“It’s a really big accomplishment,” he said.
“Beating Max Verstappen, a four-time World Champion, in a team that knows what it's doing, is a real achievement.
“It’s a really impressive, high-quality, and prestigious win.
“And it’s amazing that Oscar was also so close to winning. I think that shows how much of a team effort this was.”
THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON
After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.
Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.
Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.
That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.
He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.
Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.
Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.
Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.
What's Hamilton saying about quitting?
When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.
At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.
Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.
He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.
In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.
MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.
Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.
The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.
The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.
Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.
The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.
George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.
Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.
Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.
Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.
Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.
Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.
Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.
Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.
The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.