Brown: 'Epic' Norris-Piastri battle 'only a matter of time'

McLaren CEO Zak Brown expects to see "epic" wheel-to-wheel action between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri soon, after yet another dominant win by team papaya in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Both McLaren drivers made it onto the podium after the 57-lap event around the Bahrain International Circuit, with Piastri winning the Grand Prix and Norris claiming third place.

Mercedes' George Russell split the two Papaya-coloured MCL39 cars on the road, although a potential penalty for improper use of DRS threatens to demote the Briton from second.

Piastri had the measure of his more experienced teammate all weekend-long in Bahrain. The Australian claimed pole position on Saturday and never looked back from that point onwards, as his victory never looked in doubt.

On the other hand, Norris admitted that he was "clueless" behind the wheel of his McLaren and made several mistakes during the race, including a false start and a lock-up in a battle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Yet To See That Epic Battle Between The Two

McLaren saw the chequered flag first for the first time at Bahrain. This was particularly special for the Woking-based outfit as they are owned by Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the Grand Prix, McLaren boss Brown praised Piastri's dominant performance. He said: "I asked him yesterday what he had for breakfast because I think we all need to have it.

"He was just on form, as he's always on form, but just this weekend he was just dominant and totally in control."

• Read Also: Piastri 'confident' after first McLaren home win in Bahrain

Brown also congratulated Norris as well as Russell for their efforts in the Bahrain Grand Prix: "Lando had a mega race and great to walk away with the points. George also drove a great race, the Mercedes is clearly very fast."

When asked about the ensuing Championship battle between Norris and Piastri, Brown stated that he is excited to see the pair duke it out on track at some point.

He continued: "They race hard. I'm sure we're going to have some excitement over the year but they race very cleanly and they are free to race, as we've discussed.

"I think we've yet to see that epic battle between the two - I think that is a matter of time.

"They are pulling the whole team forward. Excited," Brown concluded.

Norris still leads the Drivers' Championship, but is now only three points ahead of Piastri on 77 and 74 points respectively.

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