McLaren boss talks about Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chemistry - “We just don't have any number twos”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown, in a recent interview, declined to put one of his drivers over the other. According to Brown, his team has two number-one drivers, and the team prioritizes them equally, unlike most F1 teams. While paddock chatter suggests that Lando Norris is regarded as the number one driver at McLaren because of his longevity and priority in the team compared to Oscar Piastri, Brown has nipped these rumors in the bud.

A development that offered insight into the team's dynamic was the team's call in Hungary. There, The McLaren pit lane asked Norris to fall back and hand over P1 to his teammate Piastri after a miscalculated strategy.

Speaking of his two drivers, Brown said to Autosport,

"Relationships, communication, and the two individuals that we have. I mean, make no mistake about it. They both want to be number ones and they are both number ones. We just don't have any number twos.

"But they race for the team. They're the types of individuals I think can race each other hard and be number one in their own mind and respect the fact that we run two number one cars. And we always have and always will," he added.

Among other teams, Red Bull over the last few years had Max Verstappen as their prioritized driver over Sergio Perez. Mercedes had a similar set-up when Lewis Hamilton had prominence over Valtteri Bottas from 2017 to 2021.

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McLaren prioritize constructors' championship over individual title, says Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes after the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary on July 21, 2024. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Oscar Piastri shared that McLaren would prefer to fight for the constructors' championship with both drivers than help one of its drivers claim the individual title. The Papaya-liveried team is in the mix for the constructors' championship for the first time since 2007 and seems unwilling to let the chance slip away.

"The first objective is to win the constructors' for the team and I think we've got a very strong chance of doing that," Piastri told Sky Sports. "We've been closing the gap to Red Bull in the last six or seven races."

Norris and Piastri have been firing on all cylinders in the 2024 F1 season and have helped the team to push Red Bull all the way, in the constructors' championship fight. After 14 races, the Papayas have 366 points in the tally compared to Red Bull's 408.

In the drivers' championship, Lando Norris stands in P2 with 199 points, and Oscar Piastri in P4 with 167 points. Max Verstappen continues to lead the championship with 277 points.