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BROWN Zak usa, CEO of of McLaren Racing, portrait during the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2023, 5th round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft from May 05 to 07, 2023 on the Miami International Autodrome, in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States of America – F1 – MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 DPPI/Panoramic PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxITAxBEL 20230505_GOOD5833
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BROWN Zak usa, CEO of of McLaren Racing, portrait during the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2023, 5th round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft from May 05 to 07, 2023 on the Miami International Autodrome, in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States of America – F1 – MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 DPPI/Panoramic PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxITAxBEL 20230505_GOOD5833
McLaren has claimed the current campaign’s award for the most disappointing start. The Papaya team was off the pace from the start of the season once again. Despite that, McLaren, thanks to Lando Norris, is top in the midfield battle, albeit with just 14 points to their name. The Woking-based outfit is definitely not where it expects to be and is far from where it wants to be. This massive gap in expectations vs reality even brought the future of Norris into question. In fact, with his latest comments, McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown defended the current state of the team compared to its miserable past.
Norris has pledged his loyalty to the team on multiple occasions and has been the most consistent performer since 2019. However, McLaren is still a shadow of its championship-winning self. The team is far from its gloried past, but, as quoted by Formula Passion, Brown defended the team’s current state compared to the recent troubled past.
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BROWN Zak F1 Team McLaren bei der PK FIA F1 Saison 2023 F1. GP Melbourne 2023 in Australien am 31.03.2023 in Melbourne. BROWN Zak F1 Team McLaren at the. PK FIA F1 season 2023 F1 GP Melbourne 2023 in Australia on 31 03 2023. Melbourne Copyright: xJerryxAndrex
“You cannot fault our transparency and honesty. We said we would come back for Baku and we did. To reach the top there will never be a linear path,” said Zak Brown in Miami. “But I like what we have, and if you look at where we started on this journey in 2017, we are a radically different team. So I’m happy with where we are, but not enough.”
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The hint of complacency and satisfaction in the team’s current position is a concerning aspect for all McLaren fans, including Norris. The concerns can be heightened as we talk about the Brit’s growing impatience with the team.
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Lando Norris growing impatient with the complacency of McLaren
Lando Norris understands results don’t come overnight. There is due process, as all good things take time. However, McLaren’s failure to reach development targets on time and the slow response to rectify this error concerns. Additionally, these comments from Brown won’t please Norris, who is already growing impatient.
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via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – April 28, 2023 McLaren’s Lando Norris arrives ahead of practice REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
“The plan, the work, everything’s still the same, it has been the whole year. We know where we’re bad, where we have to improve, and just have to be patient still. As much as I don’t want to be patient, we have to be patient,” said Norris.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Will Lando Norris Switch Teams From the Miserable McLaren – What are his Options?
The McLaren boss is clearly in a different state of mind compared to his drivers. Will this difference of opinion become the reason behind the possible separation? We will soon find out!
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