Hamilton finished third in the Drivers’ Championship standings in 2023, standing on the podium six times and recording top-ten finishes at every race in which he was classified with the only two outliers being a disqualification in Austin – in which he finished second on track – and a DNF in Qatar following a lap-one collision with his team-mate.
Despite such a consistent season, it was compatriot Norris who stole the headlines in the best-of-the-rest battle. The 24-year-old notched seven podium finishes in the final 13 races of the season as he dragged McLaren from midfield mediocrity to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship standings.
Speaking to DAZN, Stella discussed the best drivers in the current field, explaining: “Oscar [Piastri] is talented and let me say intelligent. His brain capabilities are very high. He has very interesting characteristics. I would say that he is very calm.
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“Lando is already one of the best drivers on the grid. He is very fast, very good in the race, with tire management… When I think about Lando, I think that if the team and I gave him a good car, he would be able to fight for the championship.
“When we talk about being the most complete, I definitely think of Fernando Alonso. He basically has no weaknesses. I think this makes him unique. He is not the best in many things, but he is very strong in all of them. I think that in Oscar I see his powerful mind. He is definitely like Fernando. He can do mathematical calculations while driving.
“On the other hand, Lando, I think his development as a driver will make him so complete. He reminds me a little of Fernando. My top 3 drivers with the same cars would be Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso.”
Stella is right to point out the talent of Piastri. The former Formula 2 champion was the highest-placed rookie in the standings and capped off his maiden F1 campaign with a sprint race victory in Qatar and two podium finishes.
The young Australian’s season is being labelled the best rookie campaign since Hamilton made his bow for the Woking-based team back in 2007, and with both Piastri and Norris tied down for the next two seasons, McLaren have laid the foundations for future World Championship contention.
