Zak Brown delivers latest McLaren team orders update
McLaren boss Zak Brown stands by the squad's approach to team orders.
Zak Brown insists that McLaren will not change the way it goes racing as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri close in on a maiden title.
McLaren is dominating the Constructors’ Championship while its drivers head the Drivers’ fight, a competition that is increasingly becoming a two-horse race.
Zak Brown insists McLaren pair remain free to race
Piastri heads the Drivers’ Championship by eight points over Norris at the halfway point of the season. The Australian has won five times in the opening 12 races, with Norris chalking up four wins.
His victory in the British Grand Prix came courtesy of a mistake from Piastri, who copped a 10-second penalty for a Safety Car infringement while leading.
It was a success for Norris, which came a week after he was also triumphant in the Austrian Grand Prix, where the McLaren duo went wheel-to-wheel in a battle for victory.
“It was very exciting. It was a great race,” said Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, of that event.
“They raced each other very hard, very clean. I think that’s what everyone was looking forward to seeing – finally, that epic battle.
“Of course, anytime you have your two cars near each other, it’s a bit of a nail-biter, but I thought they did a great job and it was a great race and it was good to see.”
That both Norris and Piastri are competitive is something of a double-edged sword for McLaren. While it helps drive the team clear on the Constructors’ Championship, they’re also stealing points from one another. That allows rivals to remain in touching distance in the Drivers’ standings.
Despite that, Brown and McLaren have remained steadfast in allowing their drivers to race each other on track, and not employ team orders.
At the Austrian Grand Prix, a pinched brake for Piastri saw him come precariously close to race leader Norris at Turn 4 at the Red Bull Ring – a moment that prompted a call over the pit wall deeming it too marginal.
Beyond that, there has been no further instruction beyond the conversations the squad regularly has with its drivers – including post-race as it did after Canada where Norris nosed into Piastri’s rear wheel and eliminated himself from the race as they battled over fourth in the race’s final laps.
“It’s the same rules,” Brown confirmed of the team’s attitude following those events. “Race each other hard, race each other clean, and try and get as many points on the board for the team. Then it’s up to them to decide who is in front of who.”
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It follows comments the McLaren boss made to PlanetF1.com, in which he stated that he couldn’t in good conscience pull a driver out of the championship battle to work in service of the other.
The approach bucks the recent trend, which has been for teams to support one driver, as Red Bull did with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Mercedes too had success with that approach, with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Indeed, Mercedes offers the most recent example of a team allowing its drivers to race for the championship, a battle which turned toxic between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016.
While that remains a possibility at McLaren, Brown is convinced that the personalities of his two drivers, coupled with the team’s efforts to ensure equality, will prevent things from deteriorating.
“I think the relationship they have is fantastic. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into building our team and having a chemistry within the team, and that starts with the drivers,” said Brown.
“You saw how they handled Canada, how they’ve conducted themselves, and I see no reason why they can’t have a big battle all the way to the end. May the best man win, and I’m sure they’ll shake hands and congratulate each other.
“Obviously, both of them want to win, but I see no reason why, knowing the personalities and the way they race, that they can’t remain very good team-mates.”
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