Zak Brown is confident that McLaren will be able to deliver Lando Norris the equipment he needs to deliver Formula 1 race wins and championships. Norris enjoyed a strong season for McLaren in 2022 and was the only driver outside of the big three teams to score a podium finish with third at Imola. He finished seventh in the Drivers' standings in his fourth season in the championship, but it still looking to take a maiden Grand Prix victory. The British driver has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton when he retires from racing, while Red Bull driver boss Helmut Marko is known to hold a long-term interest in Norris' services. However, McLaren Executive Director Brown feels the team will be in a position soon to allow Norris to fight for wins and podiums on a more consistent basis.
Brown's Norris declaration
Norris signed a new long-term deal with the Woking squad earlier in 2022, tying him down until the end of 2025, with only Max Verstappen on a longer contract until 2028 at Red Bull. However, given the high consistency Norris has shown, he will be an appealing candidate to members of the big three when vacancies arise in the near future – but Brown wants to ensure Norris has no reason to look elsewhere. "I'm convinced we're going to give him a winning car," Brown explained to media, including RacingNews365.com. "We have a long-term contract with him and I think he feels very comfortable within the team. "[There's] pressure we obviously put on ourselves, because we don't want to just give him a winning car, we want to give us a winning car. "We've got runway [left] to get there and he knows the journey, he's bought into the journey that we're on. "It is too early to be worried about [him leaving]."
Surprise at lack of podiums
Brown also admitted his "surprise" at the fact Norris was the only driver to score a podium not in a Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari, given the variety seen in 2021. He simply puts it down to the change in regulations. "I'm surprised at their dominance given the new regulations, but they got it right," he explained. "Then they've got the drivers right and with the reliability in Formula 1 being so good these days, unless there is a problem, the top three teams are going to lock out the podium at every race."
Most read
