Follow us on

News

Zak Brown shares which race McLaren ‘should have’ secured a one-two finish in this season

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren have emerged as the main challenger to Max Verstappen and Red Bull this season, but remarkably they have only achieved two race wins so far with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The Briton has been vocal about the mistakes he has made which have cost him a chance at converting pole positions into wins, with Norris admitting that he does not have ‘what it takes’ yet to win championships.

His teammate Oscar Piastri has also been somewhat inconsistent but found some form before the summer break, taking his first win at the Hungarian Grand Prix and another podium in Belgium.

It has been an impressive turnaround in form for McLaren after starting the season content with podiums, but since they have started to show race-winning pace the tune has changed.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has named one that he believes the team should have won when speaking to BBC, given they have now emerged as the benchmark.

Zak Brown names one race McLaren should have won in 2024

McLaren’s main rival in the last four races has been Mercedes, who have managed to emerge from their tough spell last year with a car that is now capable of winning races.

One of those was the British GP, where Lewis Hamilton took a record ninth victory in tricky conditions ahead of Max Verstappen.

Norris finished third after McLaren made a strategic error, while Piastri was fourth having also been pitted at the wrong time from the lead of the race.

Brown believes it was a race they should have taken home a one-two, given the McLaren was the fastest package on the day.

“We probably should have finished first and second at Silverstone,” said Brown.

“And yeah, Lando is trying to fight for a world championship. He’s going for it. He’s learning, as are we. So I’m not concerned about it.”

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain
Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

McLaren must learn from mistakes to win titles

It has become a familiar pattern after races having Norris speaking to the media about what went wrong in his races rather than how it all came together for a win.

He has been honest about his shortcomings as a driver, but many feel he must show more determination to win championships like previous World Champions.

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

Peter Windsor believes Norris must take inspiration from Nigel Mansell and ‘toughen up’ to beat Piastri, who could overtake him in the Drivers’ Championship if he is more consistent in the second half of the season.

McLaren has also been warned that it has to improve its pit-to-car communications after Jolyon Palmer branded it ‘chaos’ during the British GP, which eventually led to Norris losing the race.