Norris: When people experience success, it’s inspiring

On the eve of the Dutch Grand Prix, McLaren drivers and Zach Brown joined Britain’s Virgin Radio morning broadcast, and it was quite a fun conversation, professing their love for their team and their work.

Zach Brown: “We love McLaren’s history and want to create it ourselves so that it continues. Together with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and all team members in general, we can do it. Being aware of this helps to move forward, even if the start of the season was difficult for us, but tests like these only contribute to team building and it is great that we are now showing good results.

“I wasn’t smiling at the start of the season, but I love my job and want to enjoy every minute of it, even if the weekend doesn’t go well,” Norris continued. – However, I laugh a lot even during this season when I had to overcome various difficulties. But it’s important to keep the mechanics and the whole team in the right mood so that everyone keeps hesitating.

After all, once people know the taste of success, it inspires them, everyone wants to achieve more, and at the end of the first half of the season they succeeded. That’s why I want to smile as often as possible, but being a Formula 1 driver is the most beautiful job in the world, so sometimes it’s just impossible to stop smiling.”

“For me this is the first year in Formula 1 and time flies quickly,” said Piastri. – The first half of the season turned out to be rich in events, so the summer break was very useful, including the opportunity for me to analyze everything. I agree with Lando, we are passionate about what we have dreamed of since childhood, and since we spend a significant part of the year on the track, of course we have to enjoy it, otherwise all sorts of thoughts like ‘why am I do all this” will appear.

We especially like to fight at the front, and if you think we can claim trophies soon, if we do everything right, then it’s even more fun.”

During the broadcast, all three were asked: which of the encounters with the stars of Formula 1 made the most impression and was remembered?

Zach Brown recounted an event that took place in Spa in 1991: he saw Ayrton Senna go from one motor home to another, and although he failed to meet the great Brazilian, the encounter was etched in his memory. The 19-year-old Zak was still racing himself at the time and came to that Grand Prix purely as a fan.

Oscar Piastri shared a story from 2015 when he was a go-kart driver and the Australian Grand Prix selected 20 young local drivers to hold flags alongside the World Cup cars.

“I was holding Daniil Kvyat’s flag and although his car broke down on the warm-up lap, I saw all the drivers at the same time for the first time when the Australian national anthem played and I was just delighted.” said Oscar, now regarded as one of Formula 1’s future stars.

“And I once went karting with Mick Schumacher, so his father, Michael Schumacher, was there too,” said Lando when it was his turn. It was in 2012 or 2013. Mick was my rival, and his dad often accompanied him to races. I think when you are 12 years old, meeting someone like that makes an incredible impression!”