Brown won't budge: No team orders despite Verstappen threat

McLaren boss Zak Brown has made it crystal clear: Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will be left to fight it out for the world title in the remaining rounds, even if it means keeping the door open for Max Verstppen to sneak into the mix.

After back-to-back victories in Italy and Azerbaijan, the Red Bull charger has slashed his deficit to 44 points behind Norris and 69 behind current leader Piastri, with seven races left on the calendar.

McLaren, meanwhile, has been steamrolling the Constructors’ standings, sitting a massive 333 points ahead of Mercedes, allowing it to potentially seal the title next weekend in Singapore.

But despite Verstappen’s threat getting closer, Brown insists McLaren will be sticking to its guns in upcoming races and won’t be changing its “no team orders” policy.

“I think you’ve got to pay attention to Max,” the McLaren chief told Bloomberg. “We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing.

“The Constructors’ is looking very good; we had a chance to wrap it up in Baku, but let’s not talk about Baku. Hopefully, we can get the job done in Singapore.

“And what we want to do is we want our two drivers, and Max, but we’d like to kind of get him out of there, to fight for the championship and just give them equal opportunity, equal equipment, which is what we’re doing and may the best man win. That’s what we want to do.”

Equal Fight to the End

McLaren’s approach has fueled thrilling on-track battles between Piastri and Norris, but it’s not without risks as Verstappen looms. Still, Brown is steadfast

“We’d like to not play a role if at all possible, but you get into, you know, Lando had a mechanical issue and things can happen in safety cars and things of that nature,” he added.

“But I think our goal is to just set Lando and Oscar up to be competing for the championship down to Abu Dhabi and may the best driver win.”

Read also:

• Steiner’s bold call: McLaren must back Piastri to snag F1 glory!

It’s a bold stance at a critical moment: keep the racing pure and risk Verstappen pouncing, or gamble on control and risk morale.

For now, Brown’s message is simple – McLaren is playing fair, and the gloves are off between its young stars.

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