Zak Brown ‘explicitly confirmed’ McLaren’s stance on Oscar Piastri team orders to help Lando Norris

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Zak Brown has made it clear where McLaren stand on imposing team orders on Oscar Piastri to help his teammate Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi.

The papaya pals will both go into the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday with a chance to win the F1 drivers’ championship for the first time in their respective careers. But Piastri will need a lot to play out in his favour to deny Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Norris is the clear 2025 F1 title favourite in Abu Dhabi, as the 26-year-old heads Verstappen by 12 points and Piastri by 16, with just 25 available. The Briton also only needs to finish on the podium this Sunday to claim the crown, which would be McLaren’s first title since 2008.

But a lot of variables remain before the red lights go out at Yas Marina on Sunday, and many will also linger once the racing starts. So, the prospect of McLaren imposing team orders on Piastri to help Norris win the title is high, as the Australian cannot win with the Briton’s aid.

Zak Brown confirms McLaren will impose team orders on Oscar Piastri if needed in Abu Dhabi

Piastri can only win the 2025 F1 title in the Abu Dhabi GP if he wins the race and Norris only finishes in P6 or worse, or if the Australian finishes P2 with his McLaren teammate in P10 or worse and Red Bull’s Verstappen no higher than P4. So, he may have to play the team game.

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including past winners

Who do you think will clinch the 2025 title this weekend?

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And McLaren CEO Brown has made it “explicitly” clear to Craig Slater that he and team boss Andrea Stella will not hesitate to enforce team orders on Piastri during the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday, should Norris need his teammate to move aside to deny Verstappen the 2025 title.

Slater said on Sky Sports News (5/12, 08:33): “I’ve just been speaking to Zak Brown, who has explicitly confirmed to me that if they’re in a situation where they need to make a team order to make sure McLaren win this driver’s championship, then that will come.”

Zak Brown says McLaren would be ‘crazy’ not to use team orders so Lando Norris wins the 2025 F1 title

McLaren CEO Brown is adamant that they would be “crazy” to leave Piastri ahead of Norris on the road if the 24-year-old moving over would stop Red Bull ace Verstappen from taking the title. Verstappen has never led the standings at any stage of the 2025 F1 season so far.

READ MORE: F1 experts predict the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP and if Lando Norris will win the title

Brown said: “We’re realistic. We want to win this drivers’ championship. So, we’re coming into the weekend knowing that they will both have equal opportunity, even though there’s obviously a points spread.

“We don’t know how qualifying will go [or reliability]. But 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 want to win the drivers’ championship. 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.

“If one of them can’t win, they want the other to win, and that’s what the team wants. So, 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.”