McLaren Boss: Norris Fair - Verstappen Needs Boundaries

Zak Brown highlights Norris’s fair racing style and stresses the importance of setting limits for Verstappen in competitive battles.

Brown believes Lando Norris should question whether he is “too open” about his emotions but emphasizes the importance of setting “clear limits” for Max Verstappen, his rival this season and likely next year as well.

When asked about the perception that while Max Verstappen “solves problems,” Norris “talks about them,” Brown responded: “The world has changed. It’s more transparent now.”

“Today, admitting one’s weaknesses is a strength. We all have them. But perhaps Lando is sometimes too open and might be better off holding back on certain things. However, I don’t think this translates to any weakness on the track.”

Brown, however, insists Norris has driven “brilliantly” at certain points this year.

“The only thing he could have done differently in Austin would have been to hit Max’s car. But that’s not our style, and it’s not Lando’s either.”

“After all, it sparked an important discussion about the rules of racing. That’s necessary too.”

“Lando drives hard but fair. Max is an incredible racer who pushes the limits of the rules. But it’s essential to show him where those limits are.”

“If that’s not done, we’ll see scenarios like those between Lewis and Max in 2021, when Lewis said, ‘enough is enough.’ I don’t think anyone wants to go back to that.”

If Norris made mistakes in 2024 due to his inexperience in fighting for an F1 title, the same can be said for McLaren in the post-Ron Dennis era.

“Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes also make mistakes, but everyone forgets because they’ve won so much in the meantime. We could have won Silverstone, and maybe Montréal and Monza too. But we learn from our mistakes, and today we’re a better team than at the start of the season.”

While the drivers’ title now seems highly unlikely for Norris, McLaren still leads the constructors’ championship with three races remaining.

Would McLaren’s 2024 campaign be a complete failure if it missed 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 tough. Ferrari looks very strong. They’re giving me more headaches than Red Bull.”

“The drivers’ championship doesn’t look good,” the American admits to conclude.

“If we lose it, it will be because of the start of the season, not Silverstone or Monza. And it won’t be because we swapped positions between Lando and Oscar (Piastri) in Hungary.”