Zak Brown warns of ‘concessions’ in McLaren’s two No.1 drivers line-up

Despite a tension-fraught Hungarian GP, Zak Brown is adamant that in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri McLaren have a line-up that allows them to run “two number one cars”.

Emerging as Red Bull’s main challenger this season, both Norris and Piastri have recorded Grand Prix wins to sit second and fourth in the Drivers’ Championship while scoring the points McLaren need to take on Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings.

Zak Brown weighs in on McLaren’s No.1 debate

But while that’s the big one financially for the teams, for the two racers sitting in the cars it is the World title that holds the prestige.

Today Norris sits 78 points behind Max Verstappen with Piastri a further 32 off the pace.

But almost 50 down on Norris as the team-mates ran 1-2 at the Hungarian Prix where the Briton was ahead having been given the undercut on race leader Piastri, it begged the question what next for a team with two strong drivers.

That Sunday, Norris’ race engineer spent 20 laps convincing the Briton that it was right thing to do to give Piastri back the P1 and he eventually did just before the end with the team orders furore overshadowing Piastri’s maiden Grand Prix victory.

A lot has since been said and written about Norris’ decision, although the position McLaren put the drivers in, but Budapest is expected to be just the beginning of the team’s balancing act.

The 2024 McLaren team-mate head-to-head stats

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Sporting a line-up of two strong drivers at a time when McLaren seem to be gearing up for a title fight, the team’s CEO Brown has downplayed the trials that potentially await his team.

“Relationships, communication, and the two individuals that we have,” Brown declared to Motorsport.com when asked about having two number one drivers.

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

“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.

“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.

“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.”

Team principal Andrea Stella had his first true test at managing two number one drivers in Budapest, a challenge that could in time test McLaren’s culture of fair play.

“I think cultures kind of build themselves,” Brown 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.”

Read next: F1 drivers and teams receive firm warning after FIA investigation into online abuse