McLaren will use team orders if necessary to secure F1 title, says Zak Brown
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McLaren’s Oscar Piastri posing for a wefie with fans ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ABU DHABI – McLaren will impose team orders if necessary to secure the Formula One drivers’ title and deny Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a fifth in a row, chief executive Zak Brown said on Dec 5.
Verstappen is caught in a McLaren sandwich at the top of the standings, 12 points behind Lando Norris and four ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Norris was asked on Dec 4 about circumstances possibly requiring the Australian to move over at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and said he would not be asking for that.
Brown told Sky Sports television, however, that McLaren would want Piastri to yield, adding: “Yes, of course. We’re realistic. We want to win this drivers’ championship.
“If we get into the race and it’s becoming pretty clear that one has a chance and the other doesn’t, we’re going to do what we can to win the drivers’ championship. It would be crazy not to.
“We’re not going to not win the championship because we’re trying to protect a third and a fourth, or a sixth and a seventh, or however the situation may play out.”
Norris will be champion if he finishes in the top three whereas Piastri must win or finish second to stand a chance.
Brown said Formula One had always been a team sport and played down the risk of a backlash from fans.
McLaren have already secured the constructors’ title for the second year in a row.
“If one of them can’t win, they want the other to win,” he said. “And that’s what the team wants. And they are team players and we’ve already seen that last year.
“I don’t think it’s unusual in any sport for teammates to make sacrifices for each other to give the team what they want.”
In other news, Lewis Hamilton said that he plans a shake-up of his team at Ferrari in 2026, after enduring a nightmare first season with the Italian side.
The seven-time world champion, who has gone a Ferrari record 23 races without a podium finish, said he was surprised at his own resilience after enduring the most miserable run of form and results of his F1 career.
“It’s been difficult,” he said. “But I still have full belief in my abilities and that’s the most important. Holding on to that is not always the easiest thing to do, but that’s got me to where I am.”
The Briton vowed to make changes to his set-up for 2026, but declined to offer details of who would be involved.
“It’s not a straightforward process,” he explained. “We are testing next week and then go back to the factory – and I have to decide what my approach is.
“In terms of personal perfection, I have written down what I felt went wrong every weekend and the decisions I’ve taken. So, there’s a lot of things to do.
“I will analyse those decisions and make markers on how I can make better decisions in the future.”
Elsewhere in the paddock, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli thanked Verstappen for his support as he revealed that the Red Bull driver and his race engineer had spoken to him after receiving death threats on social media following the Qatar Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old rookie made a mistake on the penultimate lap of Nov 30’s race which allowed Norris to pass him and claim fourth place.
It earned Norris two more points in his bid to dethrone Verstappen and prompted Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, to comment on team radio that Antonelli “had just pulled over and let Norris through”.
The comments, broadcast widely during the race, sparked a slew of abusive comments, including death threats on Antonelli’s social media.
“It wasn’t easy to get those comments after the race, for something that I would never do, waving past a competitor,” said Antonelli. “I was pushing hard and pushing so hard, the mistake arrived. Then to receive those comments after the race, it definitely hurt.”
But the young Italian said he has subsequently received support from Red Bull.
“Lambiase came to talk to me as well and I also clarified it with Max. I had a lot of support,” he said.
“Max saw what happened and he wasn’t bothered... He even showed me support... (saying) ‘Don’t worry about these kinds of people, because they’re brainless, so just focus on the job’.” AFP
