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Even though Lando Norris is a contender for the championship, Zak Brown insists there is no number two at McLaren
The 2024 Formula One season has been one to remember for McLaren so far. The papaya team has not only caught but potentially overtaken reigning world champions Red Bull. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri achieved their first Grand Prix victories in Formula One, making the 2024 season the first since 2012 where McLaren has secured multiple race wins in a season.
A season to be proud of so far. ? pic.twitter.com/4yCA89YVN8
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) August 1, 2024
With the team’s resurgence, Norris has closed the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen to 78 points. Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, McLaren CEO Zak Brown indicated that the team would discuss if the Brit will receive main driver privileges during the summer break. Have we now got the answer?
While talking to Autosport, the topic of number one/number two drivers was brought up. Brown responded:
“I mean, make no mistake about it. They both [Norris and Piastri] want to be number ones and they are both number ones. We just don’t have any number twos.”
He continued, “But they race for the team. They’re the types of individuals I think can race each other hard and be number one in their own mind and respect the fact that we run two number one cars. And we always have and always will.”
Although Brown insists the team will always run two number one drivers, he still won’t rule out making the change if the championship battle is closer. Brown admitted:
“Obviously, if you get later into the championship and one driver has more of a shot than another, then you might start looking at things that you do strategically differently.”
If McLaren’s mindset is that they have two number one drivers, does that mean they don’t feel like they are close enough to Verstappen in the championship battle?
Brown predicts the championship showdown
While the drivers’ championship is looking slightly more secure for Red Bull, there is everything to play for in the constructors’. There are only 100 points between McLaren in P2 and Mercedes in P4, with Red Bull only 42 points ahead of the Woking-based outfit.
Each of the four teams has started on pole in the last four races, proving there is very little splitting the top four teams. With how close the constructors’ championship has become, Brown told BBC Sport what he believes may be the deciding variable. He said:
“It’s going to be tough. I think it’s going to come down to the last race. There’s not much between the cars. It’s going to come down to how does Sergio Perez perform?”
He continued, “If he can perform as he’s capable of performing, it’s going to be a hard fight. If he continues to perform as he has this year, we have a pretty good chance, because we have two drivers constantly performing at the front.”
Will the 2024 season come down to Perez’s inconsistent form?
Feature Image Credit: @McLarenF1 on X