McLaren team principal Zak Brown will be very happy with his current driver line-up given the speculation surrounding the rest of the grid right now.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are two of the fastest racers in the paddock and are both tied to contracts beyond the end of next season.
Speaking on the Driving to Wynn Podcast, Zak Brown names another ‘impressive’ driver on the grid he’d be happy to have in the McLaren team.
After five races this season, McLaren appear to have established themselves as the third-fastest team on the grid.
However, Brown doesn’t want either of Red Bull or Ferrari’s drivers in the team and instead would love Fernando Alonso in his car.
The 42-year-old has set the ball rolling in the driver’s market by announcing he will be staying at Aston Martin until at least 2026.
He’s exceeding expectations once again in a car that should only be squeezing into the points this season.
So much so, that he’s even finished ahead of Piastri and Norris at times this season.
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McLaren team boss Zak Brown raves about Fernando Alonso
The best example of Fernando Alonso showing off his talent this season was at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri was the driver whom the two-time world champion toyed with as he tried to protect an important 6 place with Lance Stroll set to finish outside of the points.
Piastri’s McLaren was a similar speed to his Aston Martin at the end of the race, but George Russell was on the charge in his Mercedes.
Alonso kept slowing down enough to give Piastri DRS so he could stay ahead of Russell without threatening his position.
Going into the final lap, Piastri made an error that eventually allowed Russell through but by then it was too late for Alonso to be caught.
Brown might have been frustrated by Fernando Alonso in Suzuka but has immense respect for what he can do on track at this stage of his career.
He’s a legend of the sport and will hope when the regulations change in 2026 he might finally have the chance to earn the 33 win of his career.
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Fernando Alonso the ‘Tom Brady’ of Formula 1
Podcast host and former racing driver Justin Bell asked how hard it is for the likes of Hamilton and Alonso to perform at this level at their age, Brown said: “I think it’s definitely not easy but you see it in other sports and it only happens with the legends.
“They have a work ethic second to none, they’ve got a focus, a mindset. I mean Fernando is so impressive.
“He’s not slowing down at all, his racecraft is awesome and I know Fernando well, he doesn’t care about anything other than racing.
“So, I think what maybe some of these quote older guys kind of lose their way is because they start getting focused on things outside of racing.
“Fernando just cares about racing and I think as long as he does that like the Tom Brady’s of the world, the Scott Dixon’s, they can kind of defy what everyone else does because they have a focus and a talent that allows them to go later into their career than most.
“So, it’s not going to work for everyone but it’s certainly working for Fernando Alonso, I’d have him drive our car any day.”
Fernando Alonso was exploring his options before putting pen to paper at Aston Martin, but Brown’s McLaren team were never going to try and bring the Spaniard in to replace Norris or Piastri.
However, it’s not a surprise that he has huge respect for the 42-year-old and what he’s still achieving at this stage of his career.
The post ‘Have him drive our car any day’: Zak Brown raves about ‘awesome’ F1 rival who’s defying expectations appeared first on F1 Oversteer.