Zak Brown believes that both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris can be World Champions in Formula 1, and the CEO of the McLaren F1 Team is hopeful the team can have long relationships with both drivers.
Sainz joined McLaren from the Renault F1 Team and secured ninety-six points in 2019, finishing sixth in the final Drivers’ Championship standings, with a podium result coming in the penultimate race of the season in Brazil despite the Spaniard having to start at the back of the field.
Norris was a rookie in 2019 after stepping up from FIA Formula 2, but showed good speed and temperament throughout the season. He only just missed out on the top ten in the championship, with the Briton managing to out-qualify his more experienced team-mate eleven times across the year.
Brown feels the performances put in by both drivers throughout the year shows they have the talent and ability to fight at the front of the field, and he feels both have what it takes to become World Champions in the future, hopefully with McLaren.
“We had a lot of changes coming into 2019,” Brown is quoted as saying by Crash.net. “First and foremost, two brand new drivers, neither of whom have a world championship on their CV. They’ve just done an outstanding job. They’ve driven like future world champions.
“Carlos has come in, fifth year in the sport, and has really performed. He’s fast; he’s great to work with; he’s a strong racer.
“And then Lando, the youngest-ever British driver – he’s shown tremendous maturity. We knew he was fast but he’s raced like a mature, experienced, Formula 1 driver.
“And then, of course, when you put the two of them together, they’re quite magic in the garage and on the track. They feel all the great support from the fans. We’re looking forward to racing with them for many more years.”
