Zak Brown admits McLaren’s podium results feel ‘flatter’ after getting the taste of winning in F1
Zak Brown mentioned that McLaren was no longer as thrilled with podium finishes as they used to be in the past few years.
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Zak Brown (via IMAGO)
McLaren has greatly improved their performance since the start of the season, consistently achieving strong results in recent races. This progress has significantly reduced their gap to Red Bull in the constructors’ standings, leaving them just 42 points behind. McLaren CEO Zak Brown mentioned that they are focused on winning races, not just securing podium finishes. After their two victories earlier in the season, podiums no longer excite them.
Zak Brown stated that McLaren aimed to win races and believed they had the potential to do so. Finishing in second place, especially by a narrow margin like a second or less, felt less flattering compared to winning, because they consider themselves as world champion material. He gave an example from the races at Imola and Canada. The team was very close to winning but ended up just behind. Since they had already tasted victory this season, coming close but not winning makes finishing in second place feel disappointing.
We want to win and we know we’re in a position to win. So when we finished second, as we have this year, by a second or a half a second, as we did in Imola and so close in Canada, that feels a little bit flatter of a podium.Zak Brown told Autosport
Zak Brown acknowledged that finishing in second place is still a great achievement. They always celebrate every podium finish because reaching the top three in a race is a significant accomplishment. McLaren appreciate these results and never take them for granted. Despite their focus on winning races, they recognize that each podium finish is a major success. Therefore, Brown values the hard work that leads to these positions.
Second, certainly still an awesome result, we always celebrate every podium because it’s a huge accomplishment and we're not taking it for granted.Zak Brown added.
Zak Brown expects more from Lando Norris for the remainder of the season
Zak Brown explained that Lando Norris has always been a talented driver. The main issue was that McLaren hadn’t provided him with a car that could consistently compete for wins. However, Norris now is regularly running at the front of the races, the expectations for him have naturally increased. Since he has a competitive car and is showing his skill and has already won in Miami, people now expect him to achieve even better results.
He’s always been a great driver, the only thing that’s taken so long is us giving him a car to be capable of winning in. Now he’s running at the front on a regular basis, so I think expectations are clearly higher.Zak Brown stated
Therefore, Norris’s performance has raised fans’ expectations for him to achieve more, especially after his win in Miami. This has brought great pressure and increased excitement within the team. However, McLaren remains optimistic about the remainder of the season.
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Gaurang Kadam
(535 Articles Published)