The dynamic between McLaren CEO, Zak Brown and Lando Norris seems quite like mentorship. The duo are known to share a very strong bond, and are often found enjoying time together even away from the race track.
In fact, Norris and Brown are both avid golfers. Furthermore, the American sponsorship magnate is a keen racing driver and petrol-head and has gone wheel-to-wheel with the #4 driver in go-karts many times in the past.
You’d expect the four-time Grand Prix winner to have the legs over Brown when racing. But Norris recently revealed that he lets his boss win sometimes. “We’re so competitive against each other, whether that’s with racing or golf or any other sport that we do,” he said on the BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag podcast.
“But I also know that he’s my boss at the end of the day. So, sometimes I got to let him win, you know,” he revealed.
Brown didn’t have anything to add to Norris’ claims of letting him win but the American businessman did reveal that he had an uncanny tendency of injuring his star driver. Brown admitted to having injured Norris twice, both times whilst playing golf.
How Brown left Norris with a nasty bruise
Norris’ adventures on the golf course with Brown have left him somewhat traumatized. During a segment of the podcast, the #4 driver revealed that once Brown’s “perfect bunker shot” had hit him square in the neck — leaving a bruise.
That wasn’t the only time that Norris felt the wrath of Brown’s golf club. The 25-year-old once got caught in the crosshairs of Brown’s shot and got smacked in the waist.
The trials and tribulations that Norris faced at the hands of the McLaren CEO did in fact leave the latter a bit worried. “I was a bit concerned because it definitely hurt and got a big welt, but luckily, no injuries. I have a tendency to injure Lando when he’s out of racing cars,” he admitted.
The duo is often busy with the grueling F1 schedule for almost 10 months of the year. The pre-season period in February and small breaks during the season is mostly when Brown and Norris can hit the greens and sharpen their golf swings.
