Zak Brown says McLaren is prone to sit down with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to know 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 probably that one of many two McLaren drivers will take the title, and says the staff plans on discussing how that state of affairs is handled provided that one driver will miss out.
“It is attention-grabbing, as a result of in Silverstone, clearly we had been extraordinarily completely happy for Lando and disenchanted for Oscar,” Brown mentioned. “So we’ve not had that dialog, as a result of the championship’s a great distance away, however finally you’ll get right into a scenario the place I believe it’s best to truly sit down with the drivers.
“If we’re in a scenario 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 number of extra races, I can simply say with extra confidence it appears like it’ll be our two guys. We’re not naive to suppose we’re trying fairly good. We’ll simply sit down and really have a dialog and go, ‘Proper, one in every of you goes to win. It may be one of the best day of your life. One among you goes to lose. How would you like us to deal with that?’
“We’ll truly sit down and go, ‘Would you like us to leap up and down and rejoice that this man received?’ So we’re totally conscious and delicate to how do you rejoice that scenario? And I believe we’ll simply sit down with the drivers and are available to an settlement. ‘One among you shouldn’t be going to be the champion, how would you like us to behave?’
“That is the best way we predict. It comes again to enthusiastic about our individuals. Silverstone was the identical factor. I bought 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 once we had been seventeenth and 18th, I used to be getting harassed. We had been first and second (at Silverstone) and I am nonetheless getting harassed by the completely different fan bases!
“I bought one word specifically, 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 word’. As a result of it was a fairly aggressive word from an Oscar fan. And I bought a giggle out of him. And I used to be like, all proper, good, we’re simply beginning to sort of break the ice.
“I additionally suppose having as soon as been a driver, I perceive very 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, in case you can repair it within the second. Or if it is one thing that you could’t repair within the second, perhaps it is advisable simply let all of it settle down and cope with it on Monday or Tuesday.
“Whether or not it is one thing’s occurred with the driving force or a method. And I believe over time, you’ve got seen, whether or not it is James Hunt punching a marshal… cannot do something about it now, so perhaps let’s simply let everybody take the temperature down.
“I all the time attempt to break the ice, sort of goof round slightly bit with the drivers. So after I bought 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 automobile. You are available in, you do not flip the engine off immediately, let the turbos settle down slightly bit. And I believe that is understanding the individuals right here.
“However I’ve thought concerning the ‘How do you cope with the winner and the loser?’, if you would like. And that’ll simply be a dialog we have now with the drivers and go, ‘How would you want us to conduct ourselves?’ As a result of we’ll be very thoughtful about that method.”
Given how shut the 2 are within the standings at current, Brown believes the title race might be determined by components exterior of the drivers’ management, as he believes their efficiency ranges are virtually equivalent.
“I believe it’ll come right down to execution, as a result of it is clear from a tempo perspective that there is nothing in it,” he mentioned.
“So I believe 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 observe, as a result of they appear to be fairly equal.”
