McLaren deny Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri 'change' accusation as F1 title tension mounts

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has dismissed the suggestion that the atmosphere at the team has shifted as the F1 drivers' championship fight intensifies.

With Max Verstappen falling back, the battle is thinning to a two-horse race between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

13 rounds into the 24-weekend calendar, the Australian leads his team-mate by just 16 points, in a campaign that looks set to go down to the wire.

However, Brown does not see any difference between how his two drivers are operating internally as a result of the escalating tension of their shared championship charge.

McLaren has long maintained it has "two number one drivers", an ethos that ensures parity between the pair for as long as it can sustain - likely the entirety of the season, given Verstappen is increasingly becoming a non-factor.

It has also boasted a strong relationship between Norris and Piastri, and has managed the duo well alongside one another.

The former colliding with the latter at the Canadian Grand Prix was swiftly and effectively dealt with, and there have been no negative downstream implications for the Briton's mistake.

Even when Piastri was penalised at Silverstone, the Woking-based squad sought to handle the situation in the fairest possible way, which both the 24-year-old and Norris appeared completely onboard with.

But as the pressure ramps up, emotions are broadly expected to spill over at some point or for relations between the two drivers to become strained, even if McLaren's strategy endures.

Nonetheless, Brown insists he is yet to see that from either Norris or Piastri, even though he does anticipate the "stress" of the fight will grow as the second half of the season unfolds.

When it was put to him that a "change" had been detected, the 53-year-old waved away any such concerns.

"I think they clearly smell that both of them have a chance of being world champions this year, so they're always serious," the American told Sky Sports F1.

"I've not noticed any kind of difference between the two of them, but I'm sure as it ramps up and gets closer, the stress will get a little bit higher, but the relationship between the two of them and the team is just awesome."