An eventful British GP ended in an increasingly familiar result, a McLaren 1-2, as the chequered flag came out. Norris reduced Piastri’s Championship advantage to just eight points, putting him ever closer to the Australian.
Typically, managing two drivers battling for the Championship is a tricky scenario for teams. With that said, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is not especially concerned.
McLaren relaxed about season-long title fight between Piastri and Norris
There is no question the MCL39 has been the fastest car in 2025, from the first race in Albert Park to the most recent in Silverstone.
Despite this, there was some optimism that Max Verstappen could mount a title charge in the RB21.
A series of impressive victories in Japan and Imola kept the 4-time Champion in contention for the first few months of the season.
Unfortunately for Red Bull, a failure to improve the RB21’s razor-thin operating window has proven costly.
McLaren are now in Pole Position to claim both world titles.
Even if Ferrari or Mercedes surprise the field with their next upgrades, the Woking team’s advantage in the standings will be almost impossible to overcome.
This means Norris and Piastri will go head-to-head in search of their first world titles.
The Canadian GP, where Norris ran into the back of his teammate, was a reminder of the high stakes when a world title is on the line.
However, Zak Brown argues the team is unphased by the prospect of more wheel-to-wheel confrontations.
“If we can continue to build a gap, we want it to be up to them to decide who wins the Championship.
“If it comes down to the two of them, may the best man win.
“And they are both very clean drivers, so that is what is cool, you don’t feel like one is going to run one off the track.
“They’ll fight hard, mistakes will happen along the way, but I think it’s going to be an epic battle down to the final race.”
An intense second half of the season awaits
There are still a few updates that will be brought to the track before the summer break.
In general, though, the pecking order should remain relatively similar until the final race in Abu Dhabi.
For McLaren, there is always the possibility that Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes can become fast enough to fight for regular victories.
However, even if this transpires, it does not necessarily change the dynamics for the reigning constructors Champions.
Much like in 2024, McLaren are the fastest team – but certain circuit layouts and track conditions could give rivals a better chance of taking wins.
With such a massive buffer in the standings, Norris and Piastri won’t be concerned about anyone else entering the title race.
McLaren can also rest assured that their 238 point Championship lead is essentially unassailable.
This means that whilst the team wants to limit incidents between the two title protagonists, collisions between Piastri and Norris are more tolerable than they would be otherwise.
In this sense, even in a worst-case scenario, McLaren has no real incentive to intervene.
As the year progresses and tensions rise, it will be essential for Andrea Stella’s team to be as neutral as possible.
Main photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images (McLaren media gallery)
