McLaren boss Zak Brown urged to back Lando Norris in the title battle against Max Verstappen

Dutch former driver, Giedo van der Garde urged Zak Brown to back Lando Norris up for the World Driver's Championship this season. Norris, for the first time in his F1 career, is in contention to secure the Driver's title, and van der Garde wants the McLaren boss to help the Briton in his fight against Max Verstappen.

After 16 races in the 2024 season, Norris (with 241 points) is 62 points behind Verstappen ( with 303 points) for the title. With eight races and three Sprint race weekends in hand, one cannot rule the British driver out with 238 points in play.

However, to ensure Norris constantly stays in line to hunt Verstappen, Brown needs to make sure he, along with his team and Oscar Piastri, lend their wholehearted support to the Briton in his quest. Speaking to "DRS: The Race Show", Van der Garde said (as quoted by "PlanetF1"):

"Zak Brown must now make this call. He must say internally: now we have the chance. There are eight more races, and this is the chance to become champion," he said.

Norris' situation at McLaren is slightly different than Verstappen's under the current scenario. Besides fighting with Verstappen for the WDC, Lando Norris also needs to make sure he keeps his teammate, Piastri at bay within the team. The Australian driver (with 197 points) is 44 points behind Norris and is in a good position to dethrone his experienced teammate in the upcoming races.

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Van der Garde backs Max Verstappen over 'mistake'-prone Lando Norris for WDC

Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Lando Norris of McLaren at Circuit Zandvoort in Zandvoort, Netherlands on August 25, 2024. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

While there is hardly any doubt about the race-craft of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, Giedo van der Garde decided to back the three-time champion to clinch the title again. Citing Norris' lack of championship experience and tendency to make mistakes, der Garde said (as quoted by the aforementioned source):

"That won’t work, it really won’t work. They’ll make too many mistakes. Norris will also make too many mistakes. They’ll win the Constructors’ Championship, but Norris won’t become World Champion," he said.

“Max Verstappen will become World Champion this season, purely and simply because he has the experience and talent to achieve that. Norris has never been a World Champion," he added.

While the World Driver's Championship might still be a far cry for Lando Norris, McLaren are firm favorites to claim the Constructors' title for the first time since 2008. The Papayas stand with 438 points, compared to the Bulls' 446 after 16 races.