McLaren wary of Lewis Hamilton-Fernando Alonso 'risk' in F1 title fight

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted there is a “risk“ of a 2007-esque repeat at the team this year amid Max Verstappen's threat in the championship.

18 years ago, a rookie Lewis Hamilton was fighting for the title against reigning champion and McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso.

However, the atmosphere between the pair turned ugly and in the latter stage of the year, an upturn in form saw Kimi Raikkonen steal the title at the final round.

This year, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri find themselves as the title protagonists, but a recent surge in results from Max Verstappen has brought the Dutchman into late contention.

He currently sits 40 points behind Piastri in the standings, a margin that was as big as 104 five rounds go.

McLaren has asserted it will not favour one driver in an effort to keep Verstappen at bay.

“That’s the risk, right? If you have two drivers like in 2007, where they equalled in points and Kimi barely beat them,” Brown told media including RacingNews365.

“But that’s how McLaren want to go racing. We want to have two drivers who are capable of winning the championship.”

Brown also asserted he has no interest in establishing a number one and two driver partnership, as he feels it would hurt its chance of winning the constructors' title going forward.

“On the flip side, when you get into one and two, that compromises your constructors’ championship,” he said. “So it’s a difficult sport. We’re racers. We want to go racing. 

“We want both drivers to have a chance to win the championship, and that comes with some risk, like 2007. 

“But we’re all aware of that and prepared that that could potentially be an outcome.”