McLaren declare stance over significant risk: 'I'm not naive'

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown insists the team will continue to provide Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris "equal opportunity" to win the F1 drivers' championship, despite the inherent "risk" involved.

The team-mates are separated by just nine points atop the standings at the summer break, and although Max Verstappen has quickly become a non-entity in the title picture over the past few rounds, the Woking-based squad is still cognisant of the potential consequences.

Nonetheless, Brown maintains the benefits of McLaren's famed parity between its drivers outweigh the consequences.

The Red Bull driver is 97 points adrift of Piastri, and it would take nothing short of a miraculous turnaround in fortunes for the Dutchman to put an average of 10 points per round on the Australian over the rest of the campaign, and that is without factoring in Norris.

But, the landscape of the constructors' fight is even more severe in the papaya team's favour; 14 rounds into the 24-weekend season, McLaren is 299 points clear of Ferrari in second place, as it looks to win that championship in consecutive years for the first time since the early 1990s.

With the risk of Verstappen and rival teams already diminished, McLaren is afforded to freedom to look inward, and let its drivers race.

"When it comes to fighting for a world title between team-mates, everyone has a different perspective - and some people can be critical - so it’s important for me to clarify a few things," Brown wrote in an open letter to McLaren fans.

"Firstly, I’ve said it before, but I truly believe we have the best driver line-up in Formula 1, and I wouldn’t trade it for any other.

"Secondly, when you have two drivers going head-to-head for the World Championship, there’s naturally a lot of excitement - and we share that excitement.

"There’s nothing we like more than watching these guys battle it out. So may the best man win."

Pinpointing the Canadian Grand Prix to illustrate his argument, highlighted how letting Piastri and Norris race can - and will - lead to further incidents over the final part of the season.

"Of course, we recognise that incidents have happened and will happen again," the American continued.

"It’s all about how well you’re prepared for those moments and how you deal with them. I think Montreal was a shining example of how well everyone handled the situation.

"We know the risk of not throwing our weight behind one driver, but we will give Oscar and Lando equal opportunity to fight it out on track to win the Drivers’ World Championship."

There have been two near-misses in recent grand prix, both as a result of lock-ups from Piastri, who almost collected Norris in Austria and then Hungary, in the last race before the F1-mandated shutdown.

Brown underlined that he is not "naive" to the risk as the tension of the title fight mounts, but is adamant the McLaren will continue to "work in harmony" when the season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix.

"That’s exciting for us, and for the sport," added the 53-year-old. "We believe the benefits of racing this way far outweigh the consequences - despite the fact we know incidents can happen.

"I’m not naive. The adrenaline and pressure will rise, but the team will continue to work in harmony and manage the situations as they come. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic end to the year. I can’t wait to get back on track once the summer shutdown is over."