24/07/2025 07:25
Zak Brown has stated he sees "no reason" why his two McLaren
drivers cannot maintain a positive relationship despite their
ongoing title fight. McLaren has enjoyed a positive first half to
the campaign, winning nine of the opening 12 races of the campaign.
Oscar Piastri holds a slender eight-point advantage over Lando
Norris following back-to-back victories for the first time in the
latter's F1 career after taking the chequered flag in Austria and
on home soil in Silverstone. In the previous race in Canada, the
duo were involved in a collision as they battled for position,
resulting in a non-finish for Norris. Another close battle followed
in Austria, with the Briton prevailing on that occasion. Title
fights between team-mates have often resulted in intra-team
agitation, with more recent examples being Lewis Hamilton and Nico
Rosberg at Mercedes, as well as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at
Red Bull. Norris and Piastri are currently in their third year as a
pairing, with Brown hailing the chemistry shared between them. "I
think the relationship they have is fantastic," Brown told the
media, including RacingNews365 . "We've put a lot of time and
effort into building our team and having chemistry within the team,
and that starts with the drivers." While the tensions between the
two will inevitably grow as the drivers get closer to the end of
the campaign, Brown is confident both are mature enough to handle
any potential fallout. "I think you saw how they handled Canada,
how they conducted themselves, and I see no reason why they can't
have a big battle all the way to the end," he said. "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."
