Zak Brown has once again confirmed that McLaren aims to ensure a fair title fight for both its drivers. As long as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri still have a chance at the world championship, he does not want to favor anyone. Brown is aware of the risks of such an approach, partly due to the threat posed by Max Verstappen. He refers to the 2007 season – when two McLaren drivers were also vying for the title, but a third party ended up winning.
With six Grands Prix still on the calendar, Oscar Piastri continues to lead the world championship. However, his lead over teammate Lando Norris is small; only 22 championship points separate the two papayas. Meanwhile, reigning world champion Max Verstappen is making a comeback. The Dutchman is 63 points behind Piastri. Yet, Zak Brown does not want to take measures to favor one of the two drivers. “That’s the risk, right?” he responded to a question about the 2007 season. “Then the McLaren drivers ended up with equal points and were eventually defeated by Kimi (Räikkönen),” he recalled.
“But that’s how McLaren wants to race,” he assured. “We want two drivers who are fully capable of winning the championship. Designating a first and second driver also has a downside; it puts the constructors’ championship at risk. That makes it a difficult sport, but in the end, we are racers. We want to race, we want both drivers to have a chance to win the title. And that carries risks, as in 2007. But we are aware of that and have taken into account that this could be the outcome.”
Assessing the Situation Race by Race
Brown added that McLaren will continue to evaluate on a race-by-race basis whether Verstappen – who plays the role of Kimi Räikkönen in this comparison – poses a threat. “We assess the situation race by race,” he explained. “I’ve often been asked to predict the future. I think Max is currently too close for comfort. Meanwhile, the gap between Lando and Oscar can be bridged by a victory and a DNF. We saw what happened in the Netherlands and how quickly things can change,” he referred to Norris’s retirement. “That’s why we focus solely on the upcoming weekend, where we aim to have our drivers finish first and second.”
Let’s go back to 2007: with six Grands Prix left on the calendar, Kimi Räikkönen was barely third in the world championship. Thanks to his second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix, he had just overtaken teammate Felipe Massa. At that time, Räikkönen had 60 championship points, significantly fewer than championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who was already at 80 points. Yet, he managed to clinch the title in the final race in Brazil, partly due to the retirements of Alonso and Hamilton in Japan and China, respectively.
