'I never met anyone who doesn't like Lando'

Lando Norris celebrates his Miami Grand Prix victory with McLaren chef Zak Brown

McLaren boss Zak Brown called Lando Norris “everyone’s favourite driver” after the Briton won his first grand prix in Miami on Sunday.

It took six seasons and a 110 starts before Norris, 24, finally topped the podium at a grand prix, with second his previous best finish.

“I think that was a massive win for Lando and a lot of support behind it, chief executive director Brown told BBC 5 Live.

“I never met anyone who doesn’t like Lando.”

The turning point in Sunday’s grand prix came when Norris took advantage of the race restarting with 27 laps to go, beating Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen into second.

Brown said that Norris is “everyone’s favourite driver, or number two or number three, but I’ve never heard even number four, and I’ve certainly never heard anyone not like [him]”.

Norris’ win could signal the beginning of an end to Red Bull’s dominance with chief technical officer Adrian Newey leaving the team and some uncertainty around Verstappen’s future.

Brown disagrees, however: “No I think that would be a bit premature thinking their time has gone but clearly with everything that has been going on this year, and now Adrian Newey leaving, it’s clear that team has some issues beyond the race car,” he said.

Brown did not rule out McLaren making a move for Newey when asked about the matter before the grand prix.

“They will miss Adrian Newey and I believe there is some truth to the Max Verstappen rumours, so stay on top of your game or you can quickly slide back,” he added.

The next race in the F1 calendar is in Imola, Italy, and will take place from 17-19 May.

“We just got to keep working away”, Brown said when asked about the next challenge.

“I think Formula One is a sport that never stands still. And if you do stand still, you’re going backwards because everyone else going forward.”