McLaren reveal crucial information withheld from Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi F1 title decider
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has revealed that he didn't tell Lando Norris a crucial bit of information ahead of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In December, McLaren claimed their first Formula One Constructors Championship title first title in 26 years at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix served as the finale for what was a dramatic battle for the title between the British team, Ferrari and Red Bull, home of the Drivers Champion Max Verstappen.
But now, two months after the race McLaren boss Brown has revealed that he actually chose not to tell star driver Norris.
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At the end of the season, McLaren finished on top of the Constructor's table with a total of 666 points, just 14 more than Ferrari, who finished in second, proving how important the final race of the season was to the standings.
And when speaking about the race on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Brown revealed it was one of the most stressful days of his life.
He said: “I was pretty stressed! Abu Dhabi was the worst two hours, you know, and it shows how quickly Formula 1 can change.
“Saturday, we’re first and second. Charles is 17th/18th, because he has his penalty. And then Turn 1 on Sunday, what should have been a bit of a cruise home, Charles has an unbelievable start. He’s in the top 10, two, three laps into it. Oscar’s back in the back of the pack.
“Lando was on fire, but we knew if Ferrari finished second and third, we had to win.”
Thankfully for the McLaren Racing CEO, the Brit did finish on top of the podium, ahead of both Ferrari drivers with Carlos Sainz in second and Leclerc in third.
However, Brown has now revealed that McLaren decided not to tell their driver of the importance of winning the race as they were worried it would add extra pressure on him to finish on top.
“We didn’t communicate that to Lando,” Brown added, “I think we just let him do his thing. He drove a perfect race.
“But anything could have happened, you know, you’re worried about safety cars. So there was a couple battles there at the end with some wings coming off.
“So you’re just very nervous that anything can change at any time, as we’ve seen, including Abu Dhabi, you know, a few years ago. So that was on my mind when you start seeing cars tussle.
“I was looking more at our data going, ‘I hope no one’s racing each other, because they can affect our race’. So that was very stressful, but I think it made the victory all that much sweeter.”
Topics: McLaren, Lando Norris, Formula 1, Ferrari
Ben McCrum