Dec.9 (GMM) As Lando Norris begins his first days as Formula 1 world champion, the debate has already turned to what kind of champion he is – and whether the new era really belongs to him.
Former Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene says Norris was “good in the decisive stages”, even if the title might have been wrapped up earlier.
“Maybe he could have won the title earlier, but he was good in the decisive stages,” he told Leo Turrini’s Quotidiano column. “But I emphasise the team’s merits.
“McLaren went many years without touching the ball – 26 years without the constructors’ world championship, seventeen without the drivers’ title. They crossed the desert and recreated a competitive mentality. That’s why I mentioned Stella at the beginning.”
Andrea Stella, the Italian team principal – and former Ferrari engineer – receives much of Arrivabene’s praise.
“Everyone in the company speaks highly of him,” he said. “Without Andrea Stella, McLaren would never have become great again. For our motorsport culture, it’s a great reward.”
But any talk of a changing of the guard – the end of the Verstappen era – earns a laugh.
“Don’t joke! Max is a phenomenon. There are 50,000 components in a single-seater and he manages to squeeze the best out of every one of them.”
Arrivabene even draws the sharpest comparison possible: “Verstappen is the heir to Michael Schumacher. He has the same strength, the same sense of leadership. He knows how to inspire those who work with him.”
Former F1 driver Timo Glock also weighed in on the ‘nice guys can win titles’ narrative now forming around Norris.
“In terms of his style, he’s not a Max Verstappen – he’s often said that himself,” Glock told Sky Deutschland. “With the right car, he has every chance of competing for the World Championship. But fighting Max will always be difficult.
“The question is how much he can grow from what he experienced this year – mentally – in order to take the next step.”
Norris, meanwhile, has decided he will run the champion’s number 1 next season.
“It’s tradition, it’s there for a reason,” he smiled. “It’s not as cool when you say ‘we are number four’, so the team will be even happier than I am!”
Celebrations in Abu Dhabi stretched into the early hours, with La Repubblica reporting that only one fellow driver – Charles Leclerc – joined Norris at the post-race party.