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Lando Norris is ‘franchise’ driver for McLaren, says Zak Brown


Zak Brown likened McLaren driver Lando Norris to the kind of talent that NFL teams build their organizations around.

Norris is set to start his fifth season with McLaren, where he is contracted to race until 2025.

This year he will join a rookie teammate, the highly rated Oscar Piastri, to form the pair that are arguably the most exciting young drivers on the grid.

Although Norris is yet to win a race – he has scored six podiums in his career and one pole position – McLaren CEO Brown rates the 23-year-old as one of the world’s greatest talents. power grid excellence.

Brown told ESPN in a recent interview: “Lando is the driver of the franchise. “Lando is one of those people if we put everyone in a dirty car and we put all the F1 drivers in a race he will lead because he has that kind of natural talent. .

“He’s an all-round star. And he’s pushing us.”

While Norris was still looking for his first win, fellow Brit George Russell claimed his first win for Mercedes at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Norris and Russell have been racing together since they were kids and Brown is sure the Mercedes driver’s success will propel Norris even further into 2023 and beyond.

“He wants to win races, I’m sure he knows he can beat George and he’s beaten George before…win before he starts getting his own.”

When asked if he considers Norris to be one of the top drivers right now, he replied: “Certainly.

“Unbelievably fast. He always gets through qualifying. He can finish a lap. He rarely makes mistakes – when he makes mistakes they are tiny. That is, he misses the top, he does. He locked the brake, but you don’t see him glued it to the fence.

“His racing skills are really strong now. If I look at the first year, he was sometimes a bit too polite on the track. Now he’s someone you can race your best and he he’s going to race with you, he’s clean but he’s tough, he’s got his elbows out. He can manage the tires really well. I think he’s as good as anyone on the net. “

Brown has believed in Norris’ talent for a long time, this belief was further strengthened when he placed him alongside Fernando Alonso in the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours for his motorsport team, a few months later at the start of Norris’ rookie season.

“I think he’s as good as anyone on the grid and I felt it from day one when I put him against Fernando in the 24 Hours of Daytona, foreign car, foreign track.

“I think Fernando is as good as any F1 driver has ever been… and Lando is right for him, and depending on the time of day, maybe he’s even a little bit better than he is and vice versa.

“You see that natural talent. You have some drivers who only discipline once and you throw them in a special situation and they can’t accelerate that fast.”

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