Zak Brown hits back at fans ‘on the couch with a beer’ over McLaren team orders criticism

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McLaren have introduced a driver hierarchy for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. They will prioritise Lando Norris’ bid for the drivers’ world championship, using Oscar Piastri to assist him when required.

Norris enters the event 62 points behind Max Verstappen. With eight races and three Sprints remaining, he still has a slim chance.

Red Bull have been wrestling major handling issues in recent races, limiting Verstappen to a single podium finish in the last four races. His P6 in Italy last time out was his joint-worst result of the season.

Norris and McLaren haven’t been able to fully capitalise up to this point. That’s partly down to strategic errors, but also to their insistence on driver parity.

Back in July, they instructed Norris to return the lead of the Hungarian GP to Piastri. He’d leapfrogged his teammate after a defensive undercut, so Andrea Stella felt it was only fair to restore the original positions, but many argued that they unnecessarily gave up seven points in the drivers’.

Then, at Monza a fortnight ago, Piastri was allowed to attack polesitter Norris on the first lap. He executed an aggressive move at the second chicane, which opened the door for eventual winner Charles Leclerc to follow him through.

Zak Brown insists McLaren are ‘racers’ after Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris controversy

Speaking to former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr on the Dale Jr Download, Zak Brown confirmed that McLaren would now prioritise Norris’ title bid. They’ve narrowed Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ to eight points and are poised to overtake them in Baku.

Brown stresses that McLaren are inclined to let their drivers race, as long as they do so fairly. But he acknowledges that there comes a point when they have to be more tactical.

The American admits they’ve faced criticism from many viewers for their approach in recent races. He feels, though, that they aren’t in a position to judge from afar.

Brown said: “It’s one of these things where you’ve got people on the couch with a beer telling us how to run the team. It’s not quite that easy, especially when you’ve got two number-one drivers.

“We’re racers. Let the boys race. They can touch each other, but don’t take each out. They race other hard. But then you’ve got to look at the drivers’ championship now that we’re getting closer.”

How Oscar Piastri responded when Andrea Stella asked if he’d give up a victory

McLaren have already spoken to Piastri about what will be required in the remaining races. His role will only be important, of course, if Red Bull continue to struggle and McLaren remain in a position to take advantage.

One Red Bull employee expects Norris to beat Verstappen in Baku this weekend, which suggests there’s little optimism in the camp. He did back Charles Leclerc to take victory, so McLaren may have to be wary of another threat.

Piastri told Andrea Stella he’d give up a win to Norris because ‘it’s the right thing to do’, even if it’s ‘painful’. The 23-year-old has finished second twice since his maiden win in Budapest.

Given their recent record and the minimal changes to the regulations, McLaren will be the team to beat heading into 2025. And Piastri will hope he can mount his own title bid from the outset.