Zak Brown leaps to defence of Charles Leclerc over unwanted F1 statistic

Now that the Lando Norris cannot “win from pole” storyline is over, Zak Brown sees it continuing with Charles Leclerc.

But, the McLaren Racing CEO says that statistic for Leclerc is fuelled by the Ferrari machinery he has underneath him, and is not a reflection of Leclerc’s ability.

Charles Leclerc win-from-pole record: Driver or car?

Much was previously made of Lando Norris’ ability to win from the P1 grid slot, race starts having proven problematic for a time in 2024. But, the Brit has firmly banished that stigma, winning four grands prix from pole in F1 2025, as he and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri go head-to-head for the Drivers’ Championship.

Speaking with RACER, Brown said of Norris that he has “never seen him in a better place” than right now, making a playful reference to “a time Lando couldn’t win from pole, according to the world”.

“Now that he’s won four or five races from pole, no one seems to be talking about that,” Brown added.

“I think you guys should write about that.”

At that point, Brown compared that former narrative around Norris to Leclerc’s situation.

Ever since joining Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc has proven himself as one of the top talents in Formula 1. He has created a reputation for being blisteringly fast over a single lap, and put that on display last time out in Hungary, stunning McLaren by taking his and Ferrari’s first pole position of the season.

Yet, as recently analysed by PlanetF1.com’s Oliver Harden, Leclerc has an unhealthy record when it comes to transforming pole into victory, just five from 27.

Brown believes that is very much down to the Ferrari machinery underneath him, rather than a fault of Leclerc’s.

“Because there’s another stat out there from [Charles Leclerc], who I’m a big fan of, who’s not won that many races from pole, and I don’t think that’s anything on him,” Brown continued.

“I think that’s how awesome he is over a lap and maybe can carry a car over a lap that doesn’t have the ultimate race pace.

“So that’s not intended to be disparaging on him at all. I think he’s a huge talent.

“But my point is kind of a good narrative, and then when that narrative goes away, no one kind of, it’s almost like the retraction’s always on the back page.

“And I think Lando’s in a great place.”

Latest F1 2025 head-to-head standings from PlanetF1.com

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

The Brit will need to keep it that way as a gripping title fight with team-mate Piastri continues. With 10 rounds to go, just nine points separate the McLaren duo.

Thus far, it has been a remarkably harmonious affair. The collision between Norris and Piastri in Canada had potential to be the opening fireworks, but Norris quickly held his hands up, and any prospect of trouble was quickly defused.

As we move closer to deciding which McLaren driver will become a first-time World Champion this year, the stakes become higher, but McLaren team principal Andrea Stella does not expect the relationship of his drivers – and thus the team – to suffer.

“I think there may be a natural increase of what could be a sense of pressure because the races reduce in number and every race will become, relatively, slightly more important,” said Stella.

“But from the point of view of the team principal and the team, our two drivers and the team have sustained this quest to the championships in a very solid way.

“Over time, reviewing this race by race, we have created a solid racing approach, an approach to which Lando and Oscar have definitely contributed.

“It’s not like the team created this racing approach and now Lando and Oscar follow it—we have put it together as a team including drivers.

“So, I think this is a very robust framework, and this will be more and more important as the marginal value of every race increases as we get closer to the end of the season.”

He added: “If anything, the relationship between Oscar and Lando keeps improving. This is not the effect of a random evolution. This is because we invest in relationships.

“When I refer to fundamentals of Formula 1, relationships are probably slightly less tangible, but I think they are as fundamental as aerodynamics. This involves the relationship between drivers and the team and between the drivers themselves.

“If I take the race we had last year in Hungary, we spent quite a lot of time reviewing that individually with the drivers and together. We tried to learn from each other as much as possible. We reminded ourselves that Formula 1 is difficult, and we are always going to face some difficulties. This is an awareness we need to have.

“From there, what can we do to improve? What can we do as a team to make sure we have a framework that allows Lando and Oscar to pursue their aspirations, always protecting the interests of the team.

“Once again, I’m a lucky team principal because the two drivers are very reasonable, very fair, very correct, humble, and above all, they understand that we are here not only to pursue our interest in the present but also to protect the future of their own careers and of McLaren Racing.”

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