Brown reveals McLaren confirmed drivers early to avoid speculation

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has insisted the reason the team announced its 2020 driver line-up of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. was to avoid any speculation surrounding the British team.

On Tuesday evening, it was announced that Norris and Sainz - who are both in their first seasons with McLaren - would be staying on with the team next season.

CEO Brown has admitted he cannot think of a better combination of drivers; with the duo really impressing in a splendid season for McLaren so far - who sit in P4 in the constructors' championship.

"I cannot think of a better combination of drivers for McLaren," Brown said to AS newspaper. "On our road to recovery, they put the interest of the team first, which is something that is not always easy.

"One of the reasons to announce it now is that the driver market is already moving. We wanted to be among the first to confirm our situation and prevent speculation."

Drivers whose future in Formula 1 is uncertain include: Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Sebastian Vettel, Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Robert Kubica and more.