Zak Brown: "Lando Norris equals and sometimes even surpasses Fernando Alonso"

BERLIN, 31 Jan. (dpa/EP) -

The executive director of McLaren, Zak Brown, considers that the British Lando Norris "equals" and even "exceeds" the quality of the Spanish Fernando Alonso, the last great driver of the English team and now in the ranks of Aston Martin.

"Lando is a franchise driver. Lando is one of those guys that if we gave every Formula 1 driver a dirt buggy and put them in a race, he would get to the front because he has that kind of natural talent," he said. Brown to ESPN.

In addition, he did not hesitate to compare him with the two-time world champion, a McLaren driver in 2007 and between 2015 and 2018. "I think he is as good as anyone on the grid, and I have felt it since day one, when I put him against Fernando in the Daytona 24 Hours, in an unknown car and track," he said.

"I think Fernando is as good as any Formula 1 driver there has ever been, and Lando matches him, and depending on what time of day it was, he might even be a bit better, and vice versa. You see that natural talent. You have some drivers you put in a unique situation and they don't catch up as quickly," he continued.

Norris, 23, will start his fifth year with McLaren and will share a garage in 2023 with Australian Oscar Piastri. The team has managed to keep Norris away from the clutches of Red Bull, with whom he had already spoken in the past, and has renewed him until 2025.

"He wants to win races, I'm sure he knows he can beat George -Russell- and he's done it before... and he's going to win. He's going to be anxious that the people he's raced with don't get many more wins before he starts getting his," Brown said.