McLaren's Brown: Piastri 'Will Be World Champion' Despite Norris' 2025 Title

Zak Brown declared Oscar Piastri "will be world champion in a McLaren" just hours after Lando Norris secured the 2025 drivers' title, framing the Australian's near-miss as a temporary setback in an inevitable championship trajectory. Despite Piastri leading the standings for over half the season—including holding a 34-point advantage after Zandvoort—the McLaren boss sees his driver's late-season struggles as mere development phases for a future multi-title contender.

Why it matters:

McLaren's validation of two equal lead drivers fundamentally challenges F1's traditional hierarchy, proving teams can maximize performance without designated number ones. Brown's public championship endorsement for Piastri—delivered while celebrating Norris' maiden title—signals unprecedented confidence in nurturing dual champions, a strategy that delivered 14 wins and reestablished McLaren as constructors' title favorites.

The details:

• Piastri dominated early 2025 with consistent front-running performances before a post-summer slump featuring uncharacteristic errors in Baku, Singapore, and Mexico, plus nine winless races to close the campaign.
• Team principal Andrea Stella reinforced Brown's stance, noting the championship hinged on razor-thin margins: "We could have had two champions—the gap was 30 milliseconds in Abu Dhabi qualifying, which defined the entire season."
• Equal footing strategy: Both drivers won seven races apiece under McLaren's controversial equal-status approach, silencing critics who claimed such a setup would breed conflict.
  • Brown emphasized the rarity of maintaining harmony: "They've never had an odd exchange between them... genuinely enjoy racing each other and are a treat to work with."
• Constructive tension: While drivers occasionally expressed frustration with team management ("a little grumpy with Andrea and I"), Brown views this as healthy pressure that elevated collective performance.
• Stella identified Piastri's rapid adaptation as championship-caliber: "He learned so rapidly after struggling on low-grip tracks... his trajectory is phenomenal. We have a future multiple world champion."

What's next:

McLaren's 2026 trajectory now hinges on sustaining this dual-champion ecosystem while addressing Piastri's late-season vulnerabilities. The team's internal data suggests the Australian's qualifying deficit to Norris (0.18s average) remains the critical gap to close.

• Technical director Rob Marshall is prioritizing upgrades targeting low-grip circuit performance—a known Piastri weakness exposed in Singapore and Mexico.
• With both drivers under contract through 2027, McLaren aims to replicate 2025's win tally while converting Piastri's near-misses into victories. Brown's public championship prophecy isn't mere morale-boosting—it's a strategic declaration that the team's championship window extends beyond Norris' breakthrough year.
• If Piastri recaptures his early-season form while minimizing errors, 2026 could see F1's first genuine intra-team title battle since Hamilton and Rosberg's Mercedes era, potentially reshaping how top teams manage dual-elite driver pairings.