‘He’s the best’… Zak Brown praises key McLaren colleague after Lando Norris victory in Miami

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McLaren driver Lando Norris was the star of the show during the Miami Grand Prix, ending his long wait for a Formula 1 Grand Prix victory.

The 24-year-old driver put in a perfect performance on Sunday, accelerating away from Max Verstappen after the safety car much to the delight of the crowd and many of his fellow drivers.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, McLaren CEO Zak Brown reserved praise for another member of his team’s staff.

Although the driver takes a lot of the credit when they take the chequered flag, every race is a huge team effort to prepare the car perfectly and nail the strategy.

Lando Norris was coached through the race by his engineer Will Joseph although the British driver never looked in trouble once he negotiated a tricky safety car restart.

However, Brown was very quick to talk about how important team principal Andrea Stella was after Norris’s maiden victory at the Miami Grand Prix.

The 53-year-old engineer has revolutionised the team since Andreas Seidl’s departure at the start of the 2023 season.

Zak Brown delighted with Andrea Stella at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix

The race in Miami provided McLaren with the perfect opportunity to show off their new upgrade package.

Lando Norris had all 10 upgrades on his car, while Oscar Piastri had to settle for half a set with the rest to be delivered in Imola.

The 24-year-old Brit showed in Sprint qualifying that McLaren had taken a step forward, looking like one of the favourites to take pole position on the medium tyre.

While they couldn’t get the soft tyres fired up in SQ3, we’ll never know how quick Norris would have been in the Sprint Race after being taken out at the first corner.

Oscar Piastri’s drive in Sunday’s Grand Prix was exceptional and he would have secured a bit haul of points were it not for an unfortunately timed safety car and contact with Carlos Sainz.

Norris was the biggest beneficiary of the safety car, taking the lead from Verstappen and driving away from Verstappen on fresher tyres.

Zak Brown and Andrea Stella nervously watched on from the Miami pit wall hoping Norris would bring the win hope and he did so with aplomb.

The American CEO explained after the race just how important Stella is to the whole team’s success behind the scenes.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

McLaren end wait for Formula 1 win in Miami

Sky Sports co-host Danica Patrick asked how such a good culture had been created within McLaren and Brown explained: “A lot of credit to my leadership team!

“Andrea’s [Stella] running the Formula 1 team, I couldn’t ask for a better team principal.

“His leadership qualities, he listens, he communicates, he’s thoughtful, but he’s hard-working and high performance demanding and that’s how everyone is at the factory.”

Brown was then asked specifically about Stella’s impact and added: “He’s the best!

“He’s really changed everything if you look at the start of the year. Just changed a few people and put Andrea in charge and he’s just done an unbelievable job leading the team, getting everyone very focused, communicating, listening, leading by example.

“He’s very demanding but he’s very thoughtful and as far as leaders go, he’s as good as you’re going to get.”

McLaren in a very strong position in the F1 standings

McLaren appear to be one of the most settled teams on the grid and that typically breeds success.

Norris and Piastri are both tied down to long-term deals and after the result in Miami, it’s hard to see Stella wanting to leave Brown’s outfit any time soon.

That’s in stark contrast to the three teams around McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.

Red Bull have just lost Adrian Newey, with Sergio Perez’s contract about to expire and Max Verstappen’s future constantly being discussed.

At Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur is heralding in a new era in 2025 with Lewis Hamilton arriving to replace Carlos Sainz.

He’s leaving behind Mercedes, who now have the unenviable task of replacing a seven-time world champion after years of struggling to understand their car.

All in all, McLaren are in a very strong position heading into the future and will hope to capitalise on the unrest around them.