McLaren Chief Anticipates Norris, Piastri ‘Swappning Paint Again’ As Tensions Rise In F1 Title Battle

McLaren chief Zak Brown is fully anticipating Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will collide again this season as the intra-team tension intensifies. 

Norris' victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out left him nine points adrift of his team-mate in the Drivers' Championship heading into Formula One's summer break. 

On the penultimate lap at the Hungaroring, Piastri came close to taking out Norris as he locked up when trying to overtake, reminiscent of their coming together in Montreal. 

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Norris ran into the back of Piastri as he attempted to go around the outside, forcing the Briton to retire while his team-mate recovered to finish fourth.

"There is competitiveness brewing, but we are not feeling any tension," said Brown. "As the championship builds, I am sure that tension will grow.

"We are fully anticipating them swapping paint again at some point, but I am very confident it wouldn't be deliberate, which is when you get into problems and get bad blood.

"I don't think they will fall out because of the communication, trust and respect we all have, and they have for each other. We are very fortunate to have the two personalities that we have, and I am looking forward to them racing each other.

"They are free to race. And if something bubbles up we will deal with it. It is not the elephant in the room because we talk about it. We meet every Sunday morning, they know each other's strategy, and we are totally transparent.

"I have said to both of them individually: 'Has your team-mate done anything to p*** you off?' Never. And that's what they have both said.

"Fundamentally, you've got two great, respectful guys and their relationship today is the best it has ever been."

McLaren's dominance has seen them build a 299-point lead in the Constructors' Championship, having won the team title for the first time since 1998 last season. 

Norris' triumph in Hungary also saw McLaren claim their 200th victory in F1, while it was also the British team's 11th win of 2025. 

Only in 1984 (12) and 1998 (15) have they managed more in a single season, and they look set to smash that record with Norris and Piastri behind the wheel. 

The pair registered McLaren's fourth consecutive one-two finish last weekend, just the second time they have managed to do so in the competition and their first since 1998. 

Piastri has won six races to Norris' five this season, with the McLaren duo now streaking clear of reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who finished ninth in Hungary. 

Verstappen is 97 points behind Piastri in the standings, and 88 adrift of Norris, meaning it could only be a matter of time before it becomes a two-horse battle for the drivers' title. 

While Brown still thinks Verstappen is in with a chance of a fifth consecutive crown, he revealed that discussions will be had with team principal Andrea Stella will be had on how to handle the situation between Piastri and Norris. 

"They both can smell the championship, and only one can win it, so I'm sure it'll be hard on the one that doesn't win the championship, assuming the other one does," Brown said. 

"We'll just sit down and actually have a conversation, and go: 'Right, one of you is going to win, and it's going to be the best day of your life, one of you is going to lose, and you're going to be [devastated], how do you want us to handle that, how do you want us to act?

"We'll be very considerate about that approach, because that's the way we think, it comes back to thinking about our people."

The F1 calendar resumes at the end of August for the Dutch Grand Prix, a race that Norris won in 2024 ahead of Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.