McLaren hail 'secret weapon' in F1 title fight

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has hailed team principal Andrea Stella as "our real secret weapon" in the bid to win both championships this year.

McLaren has made a strong start to the campaign, winning the opening grands prix in Australia and China via Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri respectively.

Norris has an eight-point lead in the drivers' standings over four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, with Piastri 10 points adrift, whilst McLaren is 21 points clear of Mercedes in the constructors' standings.

It is clear Stella and his technical team have built the car to beat this campaign, and Brown could not be happier, particularly after a one-two - McLaren's 50th in its history - at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday.

"It definitely wasn't what it might look like on paper," said Brown, speaking to Sky Sports F1. "Our team did a great job with strategy.

"Again, I think we've shown we've got the best driver lineup, and then, our real secret weapon is the best team principal in Formula 1.

"So you put those combos together and all the great work that the men and women have done at McLaren, back at the MTC, and at the race tracks, we're getting great results. You can see it's pretty close, so we've got to keep focusing."

Norris and Piastri 'at the top of our game'

Brown recently decided to tie Piastri down to a long-term contract, apparently mirroring the length of Norris' deal, ensuring they are with the team for the long term.

Brown has insisted the new agreement with Piastri was "critical for the whole team", adding, "If you look at our pit wall, our technical leadership, Andrea, our drivers, it's all about stability, visibility, teamwork, camaraderie, and the drivers get along great. They've done such an outstanding job.

"They came back from the winter so focused on themselves, on the team, technically understanding what we've done with the car, and they're both at the top of their game, and it's great to see how great they're both doing."

Brown expects McLaren to perform "pretty well" at the next race in Japan, although he feels that between the top four teams "there is nothing in it".

"We go into every weekend knowing there are four teams that can win," said Brown. "It's great that we're one of them.

"We're historically good in Japan. It's a great circuit. With Formula 1, it was predicted this is going to be an epic season, and I think that's what we're starting to see."