Formula 1 Today: McLaren CEO Zak Brown Confident in Team’s Ability to Manage Equal Drivers
In the world of Formula 1, having two equal drivers on the same team can be a recipe for disaster. The sport’s modern era is filled with examples of front-running teams paying a hefty price for not managing their driver dynamics effectively. One notable example is McLaren’s 2007 season, where infighting between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton led to both drivers missing out on the title by a single point.
However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes that his team can buck this trend with their current driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Both drivers have achieved their maiden grand prix wins before the 2024 summer break, solidifying their status as elite drivers on the grid.
“They both want to be number ones and they are both number ones. We just don’t have any number twos,” Brown said. “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.”
While Piastri’s breakthrough win in Hungary was partially overshadowed by a delayed position swap with Norris, Brown maintains that their team culture is strong enough to survive the inevitable rivalry that will arise between the two drivers. In an exclusive interview with Autosport, Brown attributed this confidence to the relationships, communication, and individual personalities of Norris and Piastri.
Brown hasn’t ruled out favoring one driver over the other in the event of a drivers’ championship being on the line, but with Norris trailing Max Verstappen by 78 points and Piastri another 32 points behind, that time hasn’t come yet for McLaren.
When asked if managing Norris and Piastri will be the strongest test yet of the team culture he and team principal Andrea Stella are trying to build, Brown replied, “I think cultures kind of build themselves. You set the direction and tone, but then you can’t force it.”
As the 2024 Formula 1 season unfolds, all eyes will be on McLaren to see if they can defy the odds and successfully manage their equal drivers. Will Brown’s confidence be justified, or will history repeat itself? Only time will tell.
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