Zak Brown proud of McLaren driver stability amid F1 competition

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has strong reasons to feel satisfied with his team’s current situation — car dominance in the 2025 Formula 1 season and two drivers committed for the long term.

Amid speculation about driver futures at rival teams like Mercedes with George Russell and Red Bull with Max Verstappen, Brown can remain calm with long-term contracts for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

McLaren implements the ‘Papaya Rules’ allowing both drivers to compete on track, as long as it doesn’t harm the team. Despite incidents at Canadian GP and intense battles at Austrian GP, Brown continues to support healthy competition between them.

“The rules remain the same. Race hard, race clean, and try to get as many points as possible for the team. Then it’s up to them who’s in front,” Brown explained.

Brown believes the good relationship between Piastri and Norris will persist despite title competition:

“Their relationship is fantastic. We’ve spent a lot of time building chemistry within the team, starting with the drivers. I’m confident they can remain very good teammates.”

When asked about his driver lineup, Brown confidently stated: “Our drivers aren’t going anywhere. They’re very happy, we’re very happy, so there’s no need to look at any other drivers on the grid.”