Zak Brown says McLaren is prone to sit down with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to grasp how the drivers need the staff to deal with the end result of their championship battle.
Piastri leads Norris by simply 9 factors throughout the mid-season break, with second-placed Norris 88 factors away from Max Verstappen in third with 10 races to go. Brown acknowledges it’s seemingly that one of many two McLaren drivers will take the title, and says the staff plans on discussing how that situation is handled provided that one driver will miss out.
“It is fascinating, as a result of in Silverstone, clearly we have been extraordinarily glad for Lando and dissatisfied for Oscar,” Brown mentioned. “So we’ve not had that dialog, as a result of the championship’s a good distance away, however ultimately you’re going to get right into a state of affairs the place I feel you must really sit down with the drivers.
“If we’re in a state of affairs the place it comes right down to the 2 of them – and I say ‘if’ as a result of we nonetheless suppose others are within the championship – I hope after a couple of extra races, I can simply say with extra confidence it seems to be like it’ll be our two guys. We’re not naive to suppose we’re wanting fairly good. We’ll simply sit down and truly have a dialog and go, ‘Proper, certainly one of you goes to win. It should be the perfect day of your life. One in every of you goes to lose. How would you like us to deal with that?’
“We’ll really sit down and go, ‘Would you like us to leap up and down and have fun that this man gained?’ So we’re absolutely conscious and delicate to how do you have fun that state of affairs? And I feel we’ll simply sit down with the drivers and are available to an settlement. ‘One in every of you isn’t going to be the champion, how would you like us to behave?’
“That is the best way we expect. It comes again to eager about our individuals. Silverstone was the identical factor. I acquired to simply break some ice with Oscar. Clearly he was upset, [which was] comprehensible. And I are likely to get – which goes to shock all of you – some stuff on social media from followers.
“It was like after we have been seventeenth and 18th, I used to be getting harassed. We have been first and second (at Silverstone) and I am nonetheless getting harassed by the totally different fan bases!
“I acquired one be aware particularly, which was fairly off the charts. And so I am strolling with Oscar to the fan zone. And I used to be like, ‘Dude, you did not have to ship me this be aware’. As a result of it was a fairly aggressive be aware from an Oscar fan. And I acquired a giggle out of him. And I used to be like, all proper, good, we’re simply beginning to form of break the ice.
“I additionally suppose having as soon as been a driver, I perceive rather well that Oscar’s going to be upset. So simply give him a little bit of house. I am a believer in coping with stuff within the second, if you happen to can repair it within the second. Or if it is one thing that you would be able to’t repair within the second, possibly it’s essential to simply let all of it settle down and take care of it on Monday or Tuesday.
“Whether or not it is one thing’s occurred with the driving force or a method. And I feel through the years, you have seen, whether or not it is James Hunt punching a marshal… cannot do something about it now, so possibly let’s simply let everybody take the temperature down.
“I all the time attempt to break the ice, form of goof round somewhat bit with the drivers. So once I acquired the chuckle out of Oscar, I used to be like, all proper, good, we’re within the calming-down part. It is like driving a turbo race automotive. You are available in, you do not flip the engine off straight away, let the turbos settle down somewhat bit. And I feel that is understanding the individuals right here.
“However I’ve thought concerning the ‘How do you take care of the winner and the loser?’, if you would like. And that’ll simply be a dialog we now have with the drivers and go, ‘How would you want us to conduct ourselves?’ As a result of we’ll be very thoughtful about that strategy.”
Given how shut the 2 are within the standings at current, Brown believes the title race might be determined by components outdoors of the drivers’ management, as he believes their efficiency ranges are nearly similar.
“I feel it’ll come right down to execution, as a result of it is clear from a tempo viewpoint that there is nothing in it,” he mentioned.
“So I feel it’ll come right down to consistency of execution, or it may come right down to luck of the draw. Climate, security, one man will get worn out by another person on the monitor, as a result of they appear to be fairly equal.”
