McLaren’s Marketing Machine at Work as Critical Lando Norris Defends Boss Zak Brown Amid F1 Horror Show: “It’s a Business”

Lando Norris‘s criticism of his team came at a time when he found out the incapability of his McLaren to challenge for wins. Left scrambling for points, the Briton hasn’t shied away from expressing himself. As blunt as he is, the driver still looking for his first win has now changed his words to back Zak Brown amidst stringent criticism of the McLaren boss at the helm of the papaya army.

The businessman leading the team has come under heavy scrutiny from the fans for failing to restore the team’s glory. However, to amend the errors in the buildup, the American businessman has started to take steps in revamping the team’s aero department by making 15 new signings of senior engineers from teams such as Aston Martin, Red Bull, and Ferrari. With these changes underway following the sacking of James Key, the director, Lando backs his boss’s actions. 

The defense from the 23-year-old comes as a shock given his previous statements calling out the car’s underdevelopment. Using the recent signings to back his boss as damage control measures, Lando, as quoted by GrandPrix247, said, “I’m thankful I’m not in that position, it’s a very tough job to be in. But yeah, I guess everyone has to make a decision at some point. Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO] has bosses too.”

“It’s a business at the end of the day, what’s best for the business and not just what looks the nicest. Sometimes you have to be a bit more cold-hearted. It happens in every team, it happens at McLaren, but it happens at every team up and down the grid.”

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Lando, continuing his blunt statements, such as those about his former teammate Daniel Ricciardo, said the team should get ‘rid’ of the ‘weaknesses’ and people who were unable to perform.

No way out for Lando Norris as he is bound by the clause

Lando signed a contract extension with McLaren in February 2022, which will last until the end of the 2025 season, making him one of the highest-paid drivers on the grid. However, the hefty paycheck came with a lot of conditions and woes, such as those he’s facing right now.

With McLaren’s new wind tunnel set to be operational in June this year, the speculation states that the young Briton will only have a year on this current contract to see if he can challenge for wins or the championship. But, the catch is, even if he’d want to leave the team seeing the current development, there seems to be an option for him. How come?

Zak Brown recently revealed that Lando doesn’t have an exit clause! As quoted by Formula1news from Sky Sports, the team’s CEO said, “He has zero exit clauses. He has got a contract with us and, most importantly, he is very happy here and he sees the progress that we are making, and he is a team player.”

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The shocking statement from Brown would also put the rumors of a swap or transfer to rest in case a seat opens up at any of the rival teams. Thus, from the looks of it, Lando has no option but to be patient and deliver.