McLaren CEO Zak Brown thinks Norris was 'bothered' by negative record

Since the Chinese Grand Prix, in four Grands Prix, a McLaren has finished in second place behind either a Red Bull or a Ferrari, just like last weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix. The only outlier was the Miami Grand Prix, where Norris finished in P1 for the first time ever in his career.

"I've never met someone who's not a Lando fan. I think it was a very popular win at the right time. I think Lando, while he would never admit it, being the driver with the most podiums ever without a win is a bittersweet statistic," Zak Brown said in Bloomberg's Hot Pursuit! podcast.

While Norris had to wait until 2024, most of his peers, Charles Leclerc and George Russell, and his former teammate Carlos Sainz all secured a win by the middle of 2023. Norris' good friend, Max Verstappen by that time was a three-time world champion, winning races week in week out. At the Qatar Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri even jumped him in the order with claiming a Sprint win.

Brown commented on what it was like winning a race while also taking a jab at Red Bull Racing: "I think it was awesome for the sport. I think it was awesome for McLaren. Lando, such a huge popular win. Obviously, everyone wants to see a little bit less dominance."

Turning podiums into wins

Brown also underlined a clear goal for McLaren, and that is to do one better than finishind in second place. The team evolution certainly requires more victories, as since 2023, McLaren were on the podium 15 times with only a single Grand Prix, plus Oscar Piastri's thriumph at the Sprint in Qatar. "We're pushing hard to make sure that [the win in Miami] was our first win of the year, not our last win of the year," Brown concluded.