Zak Brown is adamant that a straight fight between Adamant Lando Norris and Max Verstappen “would end in tears” for one or the other, if not both.
After 110 races in his Formula 1 career, Lando Norris has finally taken home the checkered flag in the Miami Grand Prix, defeating Verstappen in the process.
“I firmly believe Lando can defeat Max in a straight fight.”One might argue that Norris was given a free pit stop by virtue of the Safety Car’s timing. He lined up ahead of Verstappen for the restart and managed to get a lead over the Red Bull driver.
Christian Horner, the team manager of Red Bull, was keen to draw attention to the damage Verstappen’s RB20 sustained from an unfortunate collision with a bollard, but both the driver and Helmut Marko think McLaren was faster that day.
Enough time for Norris to separate himself from Verstappen and win the race by seven seconds, a well-deserved triumph for the British driver.
Following McLaren’s first significant upgrade of the season—the Woking team fitted the Briton’s car with no less than ten new parts—Norris achieved his breakthrough victory.
Pundits are drooling over the possibility of more bouts between Verstappen and Norris, which Brown thinks his driver might win in equal machinery.
In a rare interview with Motorsport.com, the McLaren CEO stated, “I do think Lando can beat Max in a straight fight.”
“I imagine many races would finish in tears—for one or the other, or both—and it would be an amazing struggle.
“But I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone faster than Lando in terms of raw talent.”
“Some people may disagree, but in the end, we won’t know until we see them in the same car. I’m sure Max is just as fast.”
McLaren and Lando Norris are optimistic about the future.
But it won’t be the same car for them for many years to come.
Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull expires at the end of the 2028 campaign, whereas Norris re-signed with McLaren in January after agreeing to a new multi-year contract.
Regarding his driver’s choice to stay with McLaren, Brown stated: “It’s important for people to be committed to their careers, but devotion can only go so far.
“However, I believe he noticed the improvement we made the previous year, because he loves the McLaren brand and has faith in Andrea Stella and the entire crew.
Above all, though, I believe he has faith in our ability to provide him with a race-winning vehicle, which we did last weekend. That has simply given him more self-assurance.