McLaren maintains racing rules amid Verstappen threat in F1

Zak Brown Keeps Guard Up Despite McLaren’s Success

McLaren boss Zak Brown has made it clear that the constant threat of Max Verstappen keeps the racing rules in place, even after the team secured the constructors’ title in Singapore two weeks ago. Oscar Piastri leads his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, by 22 points, and current world champion Verstappen by 63 points, with six races remaining to finish the season, starting with the United States Grand Prix in Texas this Sunday. McLaren has navigated cautiously this season, seeking to keep the competition between Piastri and Norris fair. Last year, Brown and team boss Andrea Stella referred to the race guidelines that their drivers must follow as “papaya rules”, in reference to the distinctive orange color of the car created by founder Bruce McLaren. The rules have generated headlines since the summer break: Piastri was asked to yield to Norris at the end of the Italian Grand Prix, after the Englishman had a slow pit stop. The Australian was also frustrated in Singapore when Norris almost pushed him against the wall at the start of the race in an aggressive maneuver for position.

Zak Brown doesn’t relax even though McLaren has already secured the constructors’ title. Verstappen has finished ahead of both McLaren drivers in the last three races, and Brown considers that to be an important factor for the remainder of the season.

While we would like it to come down to our two guys, Max is still very much in the game. I think the key is that the team has remained very focused, but also very humble. So, we are going to keep doing what we are doing.

Zak Brown

Brown added: “Our strategy is not going to change because we have won the constructors’ championship; we are going to approach the remaining race weekends in the same way that we have approached all the previous ones.” He also added: “That’s what we’re here for: to win races and win championships. And we couldn’t be hungrier.” McLaren’s consecutive titles come after a long period of drought that extended into the last century. Until last year, they hadn’t won the constructors’ championship since 1998. Piastri and Norris hope to become the team’s first drivers’ champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999. Before that, McLaren had dominated with a streak of championships between 1988 and 1992, one of the most successful periods any team has achieved. A regulation change is coming next year, a new set of rules both in the aerodynamic aspect and in the car’s engine, and Brown downplays the idea of replicating that old era.

Do we want to create a McLaren dynasty and leave a legacy? Of course we do. But as Andrea says: ‘You don’t race trying to create a legacy, you show up every weekend, focused on what you need to do that weekend, and then, the results and the history books take care of themselves.

Zak Brown

Brown concluded: “Next year, with the new regulations, it’s going to be even more difficult. This year, we had the benefit of working within regulations we knew. But now we are entering a new era, with one of the biggest regulation changes in F1 history, which entails a lot of risk and a lot of opportunity.”