Zak Brown thinks Lando Norris should ask himself if he is “too open” about his emotions but he also needs to show what “the limits” are to Max Verstappen, his rival this season and, probably, next year as well.
Asked about the perception that while Max Verstappen “solves problems”, Norris “talks about them”, Brown replied: “The world has changed. More transparent.”
“Today, admitting your weaknesses is a strength. We all have them. But maybe Lando is too open sometimes and he would be better off holding back on certain things. But I don't think that translates into a weakness on the track.”
Brown, however, insists that Norris drove “brilliantly” at times this year.
“The only thing he could have done differently in Austin would have been to crash into Max's car. But that's not our style, and it's not Lando's either.”
“After all, it sparked a big discussion about the rules of the game on the track. This is also necessary.”
“Lando drives hard but fair. Max is an incredible racing driver who pushes the limits of the rules. But you have to show him where the limits are.”
“If this isn't done, there will be scenes like the one between Lewis and Max in 2021, when Lewis said 'enough'. I don't think we want to go back to that.”
If Norris made mistakes in 2024 due to his inexperience in fighting for an F1 title, the same goes for McLaren in the post-Ron Dennis era.
“Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes also make mistakes but everyone forgets about it because they have won so many things in the meantime. We could have won Silverstone, and maybe also Montreal and Monza. But we learn from our mistakes and today we are a better team than at the start of the season.”
While the drivers' title now seems extremely unlikely for Norris, McLaren still leads the constructors' championship with three races remaining.
Would McLaren's 2024 campaign be a total failure if it misses out on both titles?
“I don't see it that way. We didn't have the car we have now until Miami. We lost a lot of points to Max and Red Bull.”
“Of course I want to win at least one of the two titles, but the constructors' title will also be difficult. Ferrari look very strong. They give me more headaches than Red Bull.”
“Things are not looking good in the drivers' championship,” the American admits in conclusion.
“If we lose him, it will be at the start and not at Silverstone or Monza. And it won't be because we swapped places between Lando and Oscar (Piastri) in Hungary either.”
