Norris to another team? We’re not afraid of that, it sounds like from McLaren. He’ll be one of the fastest on the grid, says Brown

Can you imagine Lando Norris on another team right now? If not, you are not alone. That’s exactly how McLaren itself feels about losing one of the best drivers in F1 today. How did McLaren CEO Zak Brown feel about him?

The McLaren driver may not have had as successful a season in terms of points as he did in 2021, but he still finished seventh in the drivers’ championship with 122 points, making him the best driver “in the rest of the world”.

Or rather the first best after the top six drivers from the top three teams. He was the only one outside the top six (Verstappen, Pérez, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton and Russell – ed.) to score even one podium. And that was at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

However, his team’s season cannot be considered a success. McLaren finished fifth in the Constructors’ Cup, having scored 159 points overall. A large part of the points contribution, it should be noted, was down to Norris.

But his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who is no longer part of McLaren, scored just 37 points in the 2022 season and finished only 11th in the Drivers’ Championship.

The fact remains, however, that McLaren was one of the teams that didn’t quite hit the concept of the new era of Formula One well and struggled for almost all of it.

Anyway, back to the British driver. He signed a long-term contract at McLaren earlier this year until 2025. But after Andreas Seidl took up the challenge of the CEO position and moved to Sauber, the question arises whether he will want Norris on his team for the 2026 season.

Brown’s statement

But in the words of the McLaren chief executive, the Woking-based team is able to give Norris exactly what he needs.

“No (we won’t lose him) because I am confident we will give him a winning car. We have a long-term contract with him. I think he feels very comfortable with the team,” Brown said of his driver, quoted by Motorsport.

“Except of course the pressure we put on ourselves because we don’t want to just give him a winning car, we want to give us a winning car. He knows the way we’re going and I think it would be premature to start worrying,” he added.

But Brown then also added that what he sees in Norris is not just great race speed, but also how he can work as a team, not make mistakes in races and what his racing style is like. However, the McLaren CEO also appreciates that it is his that has worked out in F1.

“Every step of the way he has given us reason to believe that the next step will be great. We’ve seen drivers in the past who have been great on their journey and then when they get to the top you don’t know if it was them or the situation. Jan Magnussen or Jos Verstappen were great and it didn’t quite work out for them in F1,” explained Brown.

“Looking at Lando in his first year – he had the speed but not sharp enough elbows. And now he’s fair, but when you’re racing he’s a tough character. I think Lando will be one of the fastest riders on the grid and Oscar will be close,” Brown concluded, referring to newcomer Oscar Piastri.

F1, Motorsport