Lando Norris
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It has been a long road to championship glory for Lando Norris, one that included learning to overcome adversity.
Lando Norris’ rise as an elite driver for McLaren over the last few years has been an interesting journey. In his seventh season with McLaren, Norris brought home the first driver’s championship in 17 years for the team.
Despite this monumental win, the British driver isn’t considered the favourite this season. In typical fashion, Norris responded sarcastically after being told George Russell was considered ahead.
Has Bernie Ecclestone just pinpointed why George Russell WON’T win the title this season?
One of the biggest complaints levied at Norris by fans and critics is his mindset, and how he handles adversity and criticism.
But Zak Brown remembers what Norris was like when he first entered the scene, and his growth since then has been massive.
READ MORE: Lando Norris’ ‘driving style’ will give him 2026 edge over Oscar Piastri, claims Ralf Schumacher
Zak Brown impressed with how Lando Norris has grown over the years
In an interview with Marshall Pruett at Daytona, Zak Brown discussed just how far Lando Norris has come during his seven years with McLaren.
More than the success, it’s Norris’ ability to learn how to accept failure, adversity, and challenges without being too hard on himself that made an impression on Brown.
“Lando has really matured. He’s done it his way. He’s very proud of that. I’m very proud of that… I think where I have seen him mature is when he has a bad day, he doesn’t let it bother him.”
“I think it bothered him in the early days, and he would talk about it. That was one of his release mechanisms. I think that’s good. Some people saw that as a weakness; I saw that as a strength.”
“However, when it did trip into the weakness category would be when I think he was unfairly hard on himself.”
“’Actually, no, you didn’t get it that wrong. There were other circumstances. Maybe you got it a little wrong, you didn’t get it that wrong.’”
“I think his confidence and ability to rebound from a bad session and bad race, whether that was his fault or our fault, or just circumstances, I saw him grow there.”
READ MORE: McLaren faces ‘harsh reality’ at 2026 F1 testing as 2025 tyre ‘advantage’ eludes them
McLaren top the mileage charts after Bahrain testing 🏎️
But do any of these totals change your expectations for the season? 🤔
Zak Brown explains why he wants Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to compete
In the interview, Brown also acknowledged the concerns about Norris and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, being at odds with each other in competition, and how that affects McLaren’s chances for
“We got two number one drivers. Isn’t that what the fans want? That’s what I want. I don’t want a one and a two. First off, if you have a one and two, you’re not going to have two number ones….”
“The downside of having a clear number one and number two is whoever you decide is number two is gone. You won’t be able to recruit. The best way to win the constructors is to finish first and second in the drivers.”
Piastri noted that the team had agreed to streamline the Papaya rules after discussions in the summer, stemming from some frustration over the end of last season.
On the other side, Norris called on McLaren to improve as individuals and as a team this season to ensure they continue their success.
It’s a risky strategy from McLaren to have two uber-competitive drivers go at it, but so far, they have found success.
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