McLaren CEO Zak Brown has claimed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s incident in Formula 1‘s Canadian Grand Prix has proven to have a positive impact on the team.
Norris and Piastri coming to blows late on during the race in Montreal last month has not derailed McLaren’s campaign as it has since claimed successive 1-2 results.
McLaren now harbours a whopping 238-point advantage in the Constructors’ Championship, while the Drivers’ title appears a straight duel between Norris and Piastri.
The momentum was with Piastri going into the recent double-header, as Norris’ clanger at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had opened up a 22-point gap between the two.
However, Norris has since rebounded with consecutive victories, converting pole position in Austria and then achieving a maiden success on home soil at Silverstone.
The Briton’s uptick has coincided with McLaren introducing a revised suspension that is designed to improve the responsiveness the car’s front end gives on the limit.
But while Norris admitted that he is not at one with the MCL39, Brown has observed the entire team to be in a much happier place since the inevitable crash occurred.
“I think Montreal was actually a nice moment for all of us, in hindsight,” Brown reviewed to Sky Sports F1.
“It just took the air out of the balloon and we got it over with, and everyone was talking about it.
“I feel like it’s raised everyone’s confidence and comfort; it’s happened, it was a mistake.
“We’ll see other incidents in the near future, but they’ll be racing mistakes and racing mistakes are going to happen.”
McLaren denies Norris’ home win was devalued
Piastri had been the stronger McLaren around Silverstone as he pipped Norris to the front row and was then dominating the race in the wet once he rose into the lead.
But while the Australian scooped a penalty that caused him to surrender the lead, McLaren boss Andrea Stella has denied that moment devalued his team-mate’s win.
“Looking at Lando’s enthusiasm and happiness, I think he definitely got the full experience,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.
“Lando has done his job, he has done it fair and square, no faults at all of his own, he drove very well, he drove fast, he found himself in the lead and he won the British Grand Prix, and I think he should completely and fully enjoy this great experience and this immense joy.
“At the same time, we share a little bit of bitterness that surely Oscar has been experiencing, but Oscar is a very tough guy and he will use this situation as extra motivation for the remainder of the season.”
READ MORE – How Lando Norris ‘relived’ his heroes by winning ‘pretty special’ F1 British GP
