McLaren F1 Boss Zak Brown Clears the Air Around Lando Norris’ Future Amid “Noise” From Mercedes’ Camp

Lando Norris, one of the greatest prospects in Formula 1, had been hot in the market ever since his debut. However, things cooled down after he signed a contract extension lasting until the end of 2025. But now, as per the recent rumors, the driver is in demand again, which is believed to be raising the tensions in the Woking camp. So what’s going on in the market?

There are speculations about Lewis Hamilton’s retirement. Many expect him to retire at the end of the upcoming season and rest at the end of the next, possibly triggering a drivers’ silly season. This has certainly forced the teams to put on their thinking caps, as they believe Mercedes’ offer to replace the Briton can attract anyone without a flinch. And one such team is McLaren, as the Silver Arrows can be on the lookout for Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. And with lower winning chances in the championship, McLaren will be playing with a weaker hand.

But is Zak Brown concerned about it? Apparently, no. When asked if the team will be giving Norris a car to hold him back, in an interview with Sky Sports F1, Brown said, “I’m sure I mean you know at the end of the day he does want to win the World Championship so we were on this journey together so I know there’s some noise around but he knows what the game plan is and I think yeah for sure we all want to be winning races and competing for the championship they’re not too distant future”

“And so as long as we do that I’m sure we’ll be racing together for a long time I think we want to finish the story we’ve started which is coming to Formula One and win the World Championship with us so we’ve got time.”

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Zak Brown appears to be quite optimistic about the team’s prospects and is convinced that the driver will be ready to hunt for the championship in the long run.

Lando Norris remains skeptical of his winning chances

A driver wins when he believes in the team and himself. But from the looks of it, Norris is not sure of his winning chances. While he believes a race win might be around the corner, his dream of the championship is still a distant one, contrary to the claim made by Brown.

He, in his recent interview with GQ, said, “With everything I’ve learned, maybe I could win a race, but I’m unlikely to win a championship until possibly that time. I know I need to be at the absolute top of my game in those years.”

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McLaren may not have enough time to persuade Norris to continue with the project. Can they hold on to him if a better chance comes up? It will rest on his relationship with the team.