McLaren plan revealed to ‘get ahead’ on Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri tension

Zak Brown is confident that between himself and Andrea Stella, they can navigate any potential issue between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in future.

The two drivers came together for the first time in 2023 as Piastri switched over from Alpine and so far, everything seems rosy with both drivers supporting each other.

Naturally, when wins and podiums are up grabs tensions will rise but Brown is confident McLaren have the right people to deal with that.

Zak Brown backs McLaren to avoid Piastri-Norris issues

Both McLaren drivers are young with Norris at 24 and Piastri at 22 but have shown wisdom above their years so far in their F1 careers.

They were an integral part in McLaren’s 2023 recovery but should they be in a situation where wins are possible then two does not go into one.

McLaren CEO Brown however was confident the team could keep it under control.

“Not a concern, there’s an awareness that any time you have two drivers that one is going to have to beat the other at some weekends,” Brown said, as per Motorsport.com.

“They’re super competitive right now, you feel a real energy around them driving for the team.

“We know there will be a day, probably sooner rather than later, when they’re looking after their own interests.

“I feel Andrea’s and my strengths are around driver management, so I think we can get ahead of that and manage it to make sure it stays a healthy competitiveness.”

In his open letter to the fans, Brown remarked that he believed the duo were the best pairing on the F1 grid.

“I believe we have the strongest driver pairing on the Formula 1 grid,” he said.

“Many agree that Oscar has been a revelation in his rookie campaign, and he has already shown he is able to fight at the front with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

“It was a shame he missed out on a podium at Silverstone, due to the timing of the Safety Car, but he did achieve his first at Suzuka before his brilliant victory in the Qatar sprint, both of which prove he is an exceptional talent.

“With a new contract that takes Oscar with us through to the end of 2026, I’ve no doubt he’ll continue to impress as he gains more experience.”

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Brown also backed his ability to spot a “train crash” coming and was confident he could deal with it before it became an issue.

“We’ve all seen from our experience in Formula 1, you can see train crashes coming,” he said.

“You don’t know exactly what the team bosses do, but you kind of sit there and go: ‘I’d be kind of getting on that now’ and it strikes me from the outside looking in sometimes you’ve seen things escalate and it doesn’t appear the team’s jumped in soon enough.

“So after Monza, which is the first and only time they touched, we had a very healthy – there was no sweat – conversation, and don’t wait till it happens a second time or third time.

“I think having once driven, not as fast as either of these two guys,

“I think helps understand the psychology of the driver and when and where and how to approach because I have seen you can approach drivers at the wrong time and you actually make it worse.”

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