Zak Brown's Untold Radio Message to Piastri After Norris' Title Win

McLaren CEO Zak Brown's previously unheard team radio message to Oscar Piastri after the Australian lost the 2025 F1 title has surfaced, revealing a heartfelt 'We love ya' moment as Lando Norris clinched the championship. Piastri, who held a 34-point lead mid-season, saw his title hopes fade after just one podium in seven races following Zandvoort.

Why it matters:

This exchange cuts through months of controversy about McLaren's alleged favoritism toward Norris. With the fairness debate even reaching Australian parliament, Brown's immediate post-race validation of Piastri's performance—seven wins and consistent excellence—sends a critical message about the team's driver policy heading into 2026.

The details:

• Piastri entered Abu Dhabi trailing Norris by two points after leading the championship since April, having built his largest advantage (34 points) following August's Dutch Grand Prix.
• Brown interrupted Piastri's race engineer mid-debrief to declare: **"Oscar, what a season! You're a star! Seven wins. We love ya. We do it again next year."
• The Australian's late-season collapse—only one podium after Zandvoort—allowed Norris to overtake him at Mexico's race, ending Piastri's 17-race championship lead.
• Political scrutiny intensified when an Australian parliamentarian questioned whether McLaren's "bias" cost Piastri the title, though both Brown and team principal Andrea Stella maintained a policy of "total fairness."
• Piastri publicly acknowledged Norris as a "very deserving winner" but notably added: **"He's still Lando Norris. It's not like he's become Superman."

What's next:

Piastri's insistence that Norris hasn't transcended human limitations signals his expectation of continued parity in 2026. With McLaren's championship-winning car expected to evolve significantly under new chassis director Loic Serra, the team faces its toughest test yet in managing two elite drivers after years of internal tension.

• Technical director Peter Prodromou must balance development priorities between drivers without reigniting fairness debates.
• Brown's Abu Dhabi radio message sets a tone of unity, but the real challenge comes when race strategies inevitably force split-second decisions between teammates.
• As Piastri noted: "I'm expecting full fairness from the team and equality going forward." His words carry extra weight now that Norris holds the psychological advantage of being world champion.