“That was the worst two hours of my life, by far,” Brown joked. “I mean, Lando drove brilliantly, unfortunate what happened to Oscar at the start, but the team was flawless. They executed the pit stop great and I think I was the only one who was ready to have a heart attack for two hours.
“That race, [Norris] carried us. To not make any mistakes, we were worried about Safety Cars, I was worried about everything. But he drove flawlessly.
“Next [we’ll] try and repeat the constructors’ and get the drivers’, I’ll let Oscar and Lando figure that one out.”
FACTS AND STATS: McLaren’s record 26-year title wait ends and Leclerc scores career-best performance
Norris was clear on the radio on his in-lap that he is gunning for the drivers’ title next year, having finished runner up in 2024. And with four victories to his team mate’s two, along with several years’ worth of additional experience, he might find himself favourite heading into the final year of the current regulations.
“He’s going to give it all he’s got and given the momentum he’s on, it’s hard to bet against him,” finished Brown, as the fireworks went off at the end of a memorable night in Abu Dhabi.
