Zak Brown names the one thing he’d change about McLaren driver Lando Norris

Follow us on Google Discover

Lando Norris is very quick in Formula 1 and has become a championship contender this season as McLaren have developed their car enough to battle Red Bull.

The British driver needs to overturn a 62-point deficit to Max Verstappen with eight races to go, leaving little margin for error for Norris.

McLaren have had the quickest car over the past few races, with Norris taking a dominant victory in the Netherlands.

The British driver has been very loyal to McLaren, staying with the team since making his debut in 2019 and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been impressed.

The American said when speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media podcast that Norris needs to be less self-critical and his errors aren’t as significant as the 24-year-old thinks.

Zak Brown thinks Lando Norris is ‘a little too hard on himself’ at McLaren in F1

Norris has taken his first two victories in Formula 1 this year after spending much of the opening stages of his career in the midfield.

Despite his success, the British driver has missed opportunities to win more races with a few errors, especially in Hungary and Italy.

Norris is battling for the championship for the first time in his career and that comes with much more pressure than racing for points in the midfield.

Brown is adamant that Norris needs to be less self-critical after making errors and losing valuable points in Formula 1.

READ MORE: Why McLaren’s Lando Norris looks ‘sick’ of the media at the Azerbaijan GP

He said: “I think he’s a little too hard on himself. If he’s not happy with his performance, I think he’s too critical of himself.

“He needs to like, man, I could have done better and move on. But he’ll wear his heart on his sleeve, which is great because he’s a genuine guy. But the things he thinks he made a mistake on, I think, aren’t that big compared to what he thinks they are. I think that will come with some more maturity.”

McLaren haven’t won a title in F1 since 2008 and may need to learn how to win again

McLaren have floundered over the past few years, suffering from a difficult three-year engine partnership with Honda and trying to recover.

Their last championship came in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton and this season is the first time since 2012 they have consistently battled for victories.

Red Bull have been challenging at the front throughout the hybrid era and have a winning culture instilled within the team.

McLaren are at a different stage of their development and discovering how to manage a title fight, as well as two quick drivers in Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The team have announced that they will back Norris in his battle for the championship after missing a chance to win in Italy.