Verstappen causes Brown to lose hope in Norris: 'Need a miracle'
F1 News
Zak Brown seems to have given up hope that Lando Norris can become world champion in the 2024 Formula 1 season. However, the McLaren CEO does not feel they could have done anything better in Brazil or the rest of the season.
"That was a frustrating weekend," Brown said when asked by Sky Sports to look back on the weekend in Brazil. "The weather was pretty brutal. It was difficult conditions and he [Norris] drove really well. Not much I think we could have done differently that would have modified the result much," he added.
Disappointment at McLaren
"I think that was a big weekend where we thought we could have maybe really closed the gap, and you end up leaving on Sunday, while you're mathematically in it, I think we've got to be realistic and it would take pretty much a miracle. So we'll just be doing what we're doing. We'll just try and win every weekend and see what happens. But I think realistically, now we need to very much focus on the constructors," he added.
With that, Brown has a similar view to Lando Norris. The Briton himself was dejected after the Brazilian Grand Prix. He also believes the World Championship is pretty much out of reach and he needs to learn his lessons for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Max Verstappen can become champion in Las Vegas if Norris does not outscore him by more than two points this weekend.
In the constructors' championship, McLaren is in a better position. Zak Brown's team is on top with 593 points. Their closest rivals Ferrari is 36 points behind. Red Bull Racing can theoretically still compete for the title, but at 47 points behind and with the current car, it does not look capable of closing that gap.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton