Zak Brown says there was one 2025 moment that left Oscar Piastri truly livid

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Zak Brown says he will be ‘sensitive’ with Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri if required after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. One or both of the drivers will miss out on the world championship.

Norris, who starts second behind Max Verstappen, enters the race as the favourite because he only needs a podium finish. Piastri’s task looks even more complicated after he set the slowest time of the three contenders in qualifying.

Coming into the weekend, Piastri was already playing down the title talk. But even though he enters the race 16 points back, it would be painful to miss out.

Verstappen’s pole position won’t be enough for the title if Norris remains behind him. How do you think the trio will finish?

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With nine races left, Piastri was in control of the title fight with a 34-point buffer. But his season has threatened to unravel in his winless run since.

Oscar Piastri was furious after losing Silverstone win, says Zak Brown

Some have speculated that the relationship between Piastri and Brown has suffered during Norris’ surge, but this isn’t coming from inside the team.

Piastri’s camp feel he has ‘come off worse’ far too often when McLaren have had to make 50-50 calls. Monza and Singapore are perhaps the two most prominent examples.

But Piastri has also lost points through his own mistakes, including a safety-car infringement at the British GP. He was controversially docked 10 seconds for erratic driving.

Piastri optimistically requested that Norris let him through after he served the penalty, which he felt was unfair. Brown recalled that he was livid after the race.

“You need to be natural in how you treat them [after Abu Dhabi],” the CEO told The Daily Mail. “Both get it – there are three different scenarios, and we don’t want to talk about them all for now.

“We saw it at the British Grand Prix, for example. Oscar was going to win. He was gutted. The British driver had won his home race and is ecstatic and the other guy is p—— off he has lost a grand prix.

“I can read Oscar’s body language and I can read Lando’s. We will be aware of this situation and be sensitive to it. We treat our people well at this organisation.”

Zak Brown says he won’t speak to Oscar Piastri on Abu Dhabi Grand Prix radio

Piastri could receive team orders during Sunday’s race if McLaren feel he’s out of the championship picture and Norris is at risk of losing out to Verstappen.

The Australian hasn’t explicitly confirmed that he will comply, even though he’s expected to do so.

But Brown has ruled out getting personally involved in the race over the radio. After all, it is Andrea Stella who runs McLaren’s on-track operation.

“I don’t want anyone in the team sniggering behind my back because I am seen to be interfering in something I have had no role in – such as portraying that I set the strategy,” he explained.

“I don’t want to lose credibility or be a show-off, any more than I am!”