Who needs Max Verstappen when you’ve got Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri?
That’s the view of McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who is backing his ‘odd couple’ rather than gambling on a move for the four-time world champion.
The Dutchman’s future is the hottest topic in motorsport right now with a transfer to Mercedes currently being mooted.
That could come at a cost for British pilot George Russell, despite an impressive season, including a race victory in Canada and four other podiums.
He’s hit back at the rumours surrounding his own future, insisting he feels safe at Mercedes.
If they don’t move for Verstappen, who currently sits third in the championship race, it might leave him stuck at Red Bull.
That’s because McLaren chief Brown has declared current stars Norris and Piastri are his main men going forward.
Asked on Virgin Radio if he would stick with his current driver line-up, Brown replied: “100 per cent.”
Host Chris Evans pushed again, but the McLaren CEO’s reply was unequivocal.
“100 per cent my guys. I love my guys,” he insisted.
“They’re 25 and 23 years old, as fast as anyone, great guys.
“Their personalities work so well together. They’re different characters. They’re both awesome.
Brown joined Virgin Radio ahead of the British Grand PrixVirgin Radio GettyPiastri and Norris are battling for the title but remain excellent teammates on and off the track[/caption]“And to me, this is what has driven McLaren’s success here recently. It’s our culture, it’s our people and that starts with your drivers.
“If you can get that vibe in the garage where you’ve got Lando and Oscar, who are fiercely competitive with each other but are teammates and team players, then I don’t want to change anything.”
Told they’re like a married couple, he joked: “It’s the odd couple.
“I’m not sure I’d go quite that far but, yeah, if you had two Zaks in the room it would be a disaster, maybe you could get away with two Oscars.
“It’s like [team principal] Andrea [Stella] and myself and the way we run the Formula 1 team. Andrea and I have very complementary skill sets and very different skill sets.
“You kind of have that with Lando and Oscar. They push each other and they learn from each other on and off the track.”
Brown will be hoping for another big weekend at SilverstoneGettySuch is his belief in his drivers, he is backing Norris to follow in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton by having a section of the Silverstone track named in his honour.
When asked which area of the circuit he thinks would suit his driver, Brown exclusively told talkSPORT: “I think he’d probably say the bigger the section, the better.”
“I mean, Lando’s massively popular,” he continued.
“I think if he wins this weekend, we’ll see Nigel [Mansell] and Lewis [Hamilton] levels of fan mania, which is awesome.
“He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, you know, got to get results on the board, which obviously is what he’s doing.”
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