McLaren F1 boss declares No 1 driver decision after Norris-Piastri DRAMA

McLaren Racing chief Zak Brown has had his say on calls for the team to declare a number one driver as Lando Norris tries to chase down Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 drivers' standings.

Despite Red Bull starting the season in typically dominant fashion, McLaren have once again shown a strong ability to upgrade their car this campaign, and now, are a match for their rivals at any track.

READ MORE: Red Bull stalwart QUITS to join rivals

Both Norris and Piastri have achieved race victories in Miami and Hungary respectively, with the pair showing they are capable of beating Verstappen on their day.

Despite the atmosphere within the team being incredibly positive given their recent upturn in results, there were hints of some tension brewing behind the scenes during Piastri's win in Budapest.

Brown hails star pairing

The Australian produced a superb performance at the Hungaroring to establish a comfortable advantage over his team-mate, when McLaren decided to call him into the pits before his colleague, thus reversing their positions.

The decision was made under the assumption that Norris would hand the position back, but the 26-year-old instead chose to pull away at the front, prompting a number of emotional pleas being made by his team over the radio.

The drivers eventually swapped positions with two laps remaining, but the episode created unnecessary problems on what was a historic day for the British team.

The incident sparked debate over the duo's respective roles within the team, particularly given Norris is firmly in the hunt for the drivers' title.

Speaking to Sky Germany at last weekend's Belgian GP, Brown confirmed that discussions will take place over the summer break over how to ensure they can maximize their results, declaring that the team have two number one drivers.

"Yeah, we'll talk about it," he revealed. "I mean, we have two No 1s, so we'll never not give them equal opportunity.

"But as we get closer, if there's opportunities for Oscar to help Lando, we don't want to compromise Oscar's race.

"He could have won today, so I think we'll just kind of take it a race at a time and talk it through.

"But we want to make sure we give both guys the opportunity to win - they deserve it, and that's how we like to go racing."

READ MORE: Sainz OFFICIALLY ends contract saga with two-year deal

Related

F1 Off The Track

McLaren boss sets CHAMPION example ahead of F1 race

• August 19, 2024 04:00

McLaren

McLaren boss claims star DECLINED offer of key role

• August 9, 2024 00:00