McLaren confident it can now manage two ‘number one’ drivers

McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes the team has the right structure and culture in place to manage the ambitions of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, two of the most promising talents on the F1 grid.

With both drivers securing their maiden victories this season and contributing to McLaren's impressive run of 10 consecutive podium finishes, the team has found itself in the enviable position of having two drivers capable of challenging for race wins.

While this has boosted McLaren's Constructors' Championship hopes, it has also raised questions about how the team will handle potential intra-team battles.

So far, this season has been a breakthrough year for team papaya, with Norris and Piastri both securing their maiden Grand Prix victories and contributing to McLaren's impressive run of 10 consecutive podium finishes.

The Woking-based outfit’s remarkable results and consistency have boosted its Constructors' Championship hopes but also raised questions about how the team will handle potential intra-team battles in the future.

Brown is confident that the team culture fostered under the leadership of Andrea Stella will prevent any major conflicts between Norris and Piastri.

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When asked why he believes having equal driver status will work for McLaren now, Brown pointed to the strong “relationships” and “communication” within the team, as well as the character of the drivers themselves.

“I mean, make no mistake about it. They both want to be number one and they are both number ones. We just don’t have any number twos,” the McLaren chief told Autosport.

“But they race for the team. They’re the types of individuals I think can race each other hard and be number one in their own mind and respect the fact that we run two number one cars.

“And we always have and always will.”

In terms of their respective position in the Drivers’ standings, Norris and Piastri are currently P2 and P4, with the former trailing championship leader Max Verstappen by 78 points while Piastri is 110 points adrift.

While acknowledging that the team may need to prioritize one driver over the other if the championship battle intensifies, Brown insists that McLaren will treat both drivers equally for now.

“Obviously, if you get later into the championship and one driver has more of a shot than another, then you might start looking at things that you do strategically differently,” he explained.

“But we treat them equally. They know that, they enjoy that, and they respect our decisions when we sometimes need to make some concessions.

“They’re very respectful of that. So I think we’re fortunate and lucky to have the two individuals that we have.”

There’s no denying that managing Norris and Piastri’s championship aspirations will be a delicate balancing act for McLaren moving forward.

But Brown stressed that the culture within the team has naturally evolved to support this dynamic.

“I think cultures kind of build themselves,” he said. “You set the direction and tone, but then you can’t force it.

“Andrea and I, and everyone here, we’re racers. We’re fair, we’re pretty aggressive in our pursuit for performance. But in a fair, not win-at-all-costs way.

“I think that’s how the team is as well, so it’s a great garage environment.”

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