McLaren CEO Zak Brown discussed how the Woking-based team intends to keep both drivers “in line,” despite the risk of competition between them, as was the case in the past with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Throughout the 2024 season, McLaren made it clear they did not have a number one driver and hesitated to issue team orders, even when the public felt they were necessary given Norris’ position in the standings. According to Zak Brown, both McLaren drivers want to win on merit. “I believe our drivers want to win the World Championship the right way. They don’t want things handed to them,” he said in the High Performance podcast.
“Oscar helped Lando towards the end of the year. I thought the most ironic thing was that everyone was talking about Oscar helping Lando, and then the next race in Baku, Lando helped Oscar. This shows that you can’t plan too much,” Zak Brown continued.
McLaren will follow the same strategy in the 2025 Formula 1 season. “We will start just like this year, with both drivers having the same opportunities, and we will see how the season unfolds. We could end up in a situation where one helps the other, or we might discover they’re racing for the championship until the last race,” the CEO explained.
The consistency in gathering points allowed the papaya-colored team to win the Constructors’ title, surpassing Ferrari and Red Bull. However, while this strategy works for the Constructors’ Championship, it is not as effective for the Drivers’ Championship. Additionally, the lack of a clear hierarchy could lead to the drivers “stealing” points from each other. Will McLaren be able to be more decisive? And what will happen if Oscar Piastri proves to be faster than Lando Norris?
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