McLaren boss Zak Brown rates Lando Norris “as good as anyone” on the grid.
Lando Norris is considered one of the best young drivers on the grid. The Briton F1 star finished seventh in the championship in 2022. Norris was the only driver other than Ferrari, Red bull and Mercedes to cross the 100 points mark last year.
McLaren boss Zak Brown believes the 23-year-old has already placed himself among the best on the grid currently.
When asked if he thinks Norris to be among the top F1 drivers on the grid, Brown said:
“[He’s unbelievably fast. He pulls it out in qualifying all the time, he can put a lap together. He rarely makes mistakes – when he does they’re very small. It’s he missed the apex, he locked a brake, but you don’t see him sticking it in the fence.“
“His race craft is really strong now. If I look at year one, he was a little too polite on track at times. Now he’s someone you can race hard with and he’ll race you hard, he’s clean but he’s hard, he gets his elbows out. He can manage tyres very well.”
“He’s a total star” – Brown on Norris
Brown added:
“I think he is as good as anyone on the grid and I’ve felt that 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 there’s every been… and Lando matches him, and depending on what time of day it was, maybe he even got him a little bit, and vice versa.“
“You see that natural talent. You do get some drivers who are a one-make discipline and you throw them in a unique situation and they don’t get up to speed as quickly.”
Lando Norris will be driving his fifth F1 season this year and is with the McLaren side until the end of the 2025 season. This, however, has not stopped other teams from eyeing the young talent.
Regardless, Brown insisted that he will not lose Briton that easily.
“Lando’s one of those guys if we put everyone in a dirt buggy and we put all the F1 drivers in a race, he’d be at the front because he’s got that kind of natural talent,”
Brown said.
“He’s a total star. And he’s pushing us.”
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