Zak Brown’s first impression of Lando Norris against Fernando Alonso proves why he’s an F1 champion

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Just over six years on from making his Formula 1 debut, Lando Norris can finally call himself a Formula 1 champion. He’s officially among the elite.

He coaxed his McLaren into the position it needed to be at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite some unexpected pressure at times.

With Norris’ sights set firmly on third place, he delivered a steely performance, securing his maiden drivers’ championship by just two points.

Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, he now gets to decide whether he would like the number one on his car. It’s a significant milestone in any driver’s career.

Norris faced ‘more problems’ than expected in Abu Dhabi, and struggled to keep his car in a straight line at the end of the race, as he tried to back off a little more.

Zak Brown thinks Oscar Piastri is a ‘future world champion’, but this year, he was beaten by his teammate. Over the winter, he’ll have to digest that and think of where to go next.

READ MORE: Laurent Mekies broke a promise to McLaren during the Abu Dhabi GP, it nearly cost Lando Norris dearly

Zak Brown’s ‘mega’ first impression of Lando Norris against Fernando Alonso shows why he’s a champion

Lewis Hamilton told Norris not to ‘change anything’ in the lead-up to the title decider. His fellow countryman knows a thing or two about winning a championship.

If he listened to him, it worked well. He didn’t appear to approach the weekend any differently compared to how he normally does.

Norris says Piastri made him ‘dig even deeper’ than Daniel Ricciardo did while they were partnered together. During his debut, he had to face Fernando Alonso, and his approach speaks volumes about why he’s a champion now.

“They’re swapping times,” said Zak Brown in an interview with BBC Sport. “Fernando has just set his time, so he’s done, and obviously paying attention to what times Lando is doing. He’s asking.

“We come on the radio, and we go: ‘Fernando, Lando’s on a lap, get out of his way.’ First sector, same 10th. Second sector, Lando is half a 10th up.

“Third sector, on the radio, Fernando: ‘Sorry, I didn’t see him.’ Lando: ‘Fernando just blocked me!’ And we all just giggled on the pit wall, like, ‘Welcome to Formula 1.’ So when you see those things, you just think: ‘This guy’s mega.'”

READ MORE: Damon Hill absolutely loved one thing Lando Norris said immediately after winning the 2025 F1 title

How McLaren have repaid Lando Norris’ faith in them after the 2025 F1 season

Back at the start of the 2023 campaign, McLaren started the season off struggling to make it out of Q1, while Red Bull were dominating.

At the time, Norris could have jumped ship and joined the most dominant team in the sport, earning an instant chance to win.

But, he refused to do that. Instead, he kept faith in the team he had been with since the start of his Formula 1 career, and it paid off handsomely. Now, they’re stronger than Red Bull.

In the future, Norris wants to be ‘more like’ Piastri and have the ability to remain calm in all situations. If he can manage that, he’ll be an almost unstoppable force.