McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes Lando Norris should evaluate whether his openness about personal challenges is always beneficial.
When asked by Auto Motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt about the perception that while Max Verstappen "solves problems," Norris often "talks about them," Brown acknowledged the different approaches.
"The world has changed. More transparent," Brown said. "Today, admitting weaknesses is a strength. We all have them. But maybe Lando is too open sometimes and he would be better off holding back on certain things. But I don't think that translates into a weakness on the racetrack."
Norris and Verstappen have fought an increasingly tense battle for the 2024 drivers' championship, with Verstappen now poised to secure the title. Despite Norris' strong performances, critics suggest his openness may reflect a psychological disadvantage.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher offered a different perspective. "Max is a driver like (Ayrton) Senna or Michael (Schumacher)," he told f1-insider.com. "They could win even when the car wasn't the best. Others have to have a perfect car to be at the top of the podium."
Brown, however, defended Norris' driving, citing moments of brilliance this season. "The only thing he could have done differently in Austin would have been to drive into Max's car," Brown said. "But that's not our style, and not Lando's either."
He also pointed out that McLaren itself is still learning as a team after years of rebuilding. "Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes make mistakes too," he said, "but everyone forgets that because they won so much in between. We could have won Silverstone, and maybe Montreal and Monza too. But we learn from our mistakes and today we are a better team than we were at the start of the season."
While the drivers' championship seems out of reach, McLaren remains ahead in the constructors' championship with three races remaining. However, Brown is wary of the challenge posed by Ferrari. "Ferrari look very strong," he admitted. "They're giving me more headaches than Red Bull."
Brown concluded that the team's shortcomings earlier in the season may ultimately decide the outcome. "Things are not looking good in the drivers' championship," he said. "If we lose it, it will have happened at the beginning and not in Silverstone or Monza. And also not because we swapped places between Lando and Oscar (Piastri) in Hungary."
