Lando Norris has 'another 10 to 15 years ahead of him', asserts McLaren boss Zak Brown

McLaren boss Zak Brown shared his thoughts about Lando Norris and how the young Briton will have a long and successful career in F1. Although McLaren is still considered a midfield team, Norris has performed tremendously well in the past few seasons.

In an interview with the GQ Magazine, Brown expressed his frustration at how Lando Norris has been late to work several times, but also praised the driver for being honest and owning up to his mistakes. The McLaren team boss believes that Norris has improved quite a lot over the years, saying:

"What frustrates me about Lando? He’s been five minutes late more than once. If we’re supposed to leave at 8.00, it might be 8.07. The great thing about him is he is very honest and owns everything. And he’s definitely improved."

Zak Brown claims Lando Norris has at least 10 to 15 years ahead of him and will most likely become a world champion in the future. He further explains how the Briton knows when to be serious and when to have fun, a balance that is very important as an F1 driver. He said:

"When he first went up against Fernando Alonso, it was like another day at the office. I think that calmness and coolness is why he's so consistent. I think he's got another 10 to 15 years ahead of him. As long as we can get him a car, he’ll be a World Champion. He takes the things that he needs to take seriously, very seriously. But he also knows that we’re in a fun business, racing cars."

Although Lando Norris has everything it takes to become a top driver in F1, many still think that McLaren is the bottleneck that's stopping him from moving forward. Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes are still the front-running teams and are miles ahead of the British team.

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Lando Norris shares how much he has learned from Daniel Ricciardo

Speaking to ESPN, Lando Norris opened up about his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo and how much he has learned from the Australian. Ricciardo struggled a lot at McLaren and was forced to leave the team after the 2022 F1 season. However, Norris was able to pick up a lot from his teammate. He said:

"I've still been able to learn a hell of a lot from Daniel. His approach to racing, his mentality with it all, (you) see in the tough times how he keeps so strong with it all and has so much belief in himself. That's something I struggled a lot with when I came into F1 and something I've been able to learn a lot from him over the past couple of years."

Norris further added:

"Even on the driving side, how he drives the car in many ways. Like you can see those instances of what's made him so good, and I guess I've tried to take them on board. It's not an easy thing to do, but the more I've been able to learn from him, the better I've become, and that's certainly a good thing for me."

Ricciardo was way behind Norris during the 2022 F1 season and was simply unable to keep up in midfield battles. He finished 11th in the drivers' championship, whereas Norris ended up in 7th.