McLaren chief Zak Brown says his F1 team has the best driver duo in the sport, rating Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri above the likes of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, as well as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The British racing team enjoyed a productive 2023 campaign, finishing fourth in the constructors’ standings.
The team enjoyed a number of podiums and even won the Qatar GP sprint, with rookie Pisatri taking the chequered flag. McLaren chief Brown has high hopes heading into 2024, with the team in a good position ahead of the new season, while also revealing the car livery.
McLaren also has the most sponsors, meaning the team isn’t short of a few quid either. Those pennies will likely go on securing Norris’ long-term future, with his contract up after the 2025 season.
“To your earlier question: Building blocks,” Brown said to Sky Sports when discussing what a team needs to succeed in Formula 1. “You need the world’s two greatest Grand Prix drivers; I think we’ve got the best driver line-up in Formula 1. We do have a little bit more runway with both but certainly, he’s [Norris] hot property, if you like. So, we’d like to lock him down sooner rather than later. I think he’s very much enjoying his time at McLaren – the dream is to win races and a world championship together and I think Lando’s all-in for achieving that with us.”
Norris has been linked with a switch to Red Bull to become the teammate of longtime friend Verstappen once Perez’s contract expires at the end of this year. The Brit, 24, even flirted with the idea himself. “I think at that point, it would be great to work alongside someone like that. At the same time, see where I can really stand against him. I’d be open for it,” he said last year.
However, in order for Red Bull to get Norris a season before free agency, they’d have to work out a deal with McLaren, and Brown insists there’s no sum of money the team would consider for their star.
“He’s a great asset to the racing team,” Brown said. “So, there’s no number we’d be interested in trading him for.”
Brown added: “Yeah, the resources we have now are exactly where we need to be. We’re a profitable racing team, which is great. We run at the cap and resources will not hold us back from achieving anything that we need to achieve, drivers included.”
