Zak Brown confirms when McLaren will tell Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri No1 driver decision

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown has now confirmed when the Formula 1 team will inform Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of their decision about picking a number one driver.

The papaya squad are facing the prospect of picking between Norris and Piastri to lead their quest for the constructors’ championship with McLaren now having two Grand Prix winners in the garage. Both drivers also took their debut Grand Prix wins during the 2024 F1 season.

But while a safety car intervention helped Norris win the Miami Grand Prix, the team orders McLaren spent the Hungarian Grand Prix discussing overshadowed Piastri’s maiden win in a main race. The 23-year-old had already taken a Sprint victory at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

Zak Brown confirms McLaren will decide their No1 driver after the Belgian GP

The Hungaroring weekend was almost perfect for McLaren as Norris and Piastri claimed the team’s first front-row lock-out since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. But McLaren opting to pit Norris first in the second pit stops to cover Lewis Hamilton turned joy into unneeded drama.

READ MORE: F1 2024 teammate head-to-head battles including race, Sprint and qualifying

Piastri snatched the lead of the Hungarian GP off Norris at the start and he controlled it well throughout. But the 24-year-old pitting first meant the Briton undercut the Australian. Radio messages then went back and forth as McLaren begged Norris to hand Piastri the lead back.

Norris eventually conceded the lead and saw Piastri win the Hungarian GP in rather mooted fashion. But a repeat of the drama that unfolded in Budapest may not occur again after F1’s summer break. Brown has confirmed that McLaren will make a decision on their No1 driver.

But Brown will not be the person in Woking who decides if Norris or Piastri is McLaren’s No1 driver from the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25. Instead, he will leave team principal Andrea Stella to pick which driver will lead McLaren’s bid to take the constructors’ title off Red Bull.

“In the end, it will be Andrea’s decision,” Brown said, via Motorsport-Total. “But, first, we want to get through the first half of the season and see where we end up this weekend.”

McLaren chasing Red Bull to win their first F1 constructors’ title since 1998

Formula 1 breaks up for its summer break following the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend at Spa. McLaren headed to the iconic circuit in the Ardennes second in the constructors’ battle to Red Bull by 51 points. The Woking outfit have not won the teams’ title since back in 1998.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Belgian GP from Schumacher vs Hakkinen to a 13 car crash

McLaren have won eight constructors’ championships in their history with their first success in 1974. But the 21st century has not been too fortuitous for the papaya crew. Hamilton still remains the last driver to win an F1 title while driving a McLaren during the 2008 campaign.

Norris is currently McLaren’s best bet to win the team’s 13th drivers’ title so far in 2024. The Miami GP winner sits second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the championship by 76 points ahead of the Belgian GP. Piastri, meanwhile, ranks in fifth place but only has 40 fewer points.