Zak Brown's F1 'master plan' in tatters after McLaren driver disagreement

McLaren

Zak Brown's 'master plan' in tatters after McLaren driver disagreement

Do McLaren have a feisty fight for the title on their hands?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 8 October 2025 21:56

Zak Brown's 'master plan' of how to manage his McLaren F1 driver duo appears to have been left in tatters following last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.

The papaya stars lined up on the second and third row ahead of lights out at Marina Bay Street Circuit, and with a constructors' championship on the line, it was vital they kept things clean.

Throughout the 2025 campaign, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been wrapped up in the team's 'papaya rules' with the drivers confirming there is really only one rule they must follow- do not make contact.

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But when Norris clipped the side of Piastri's MCL39 on Sunday in Singapore, all hell broke loose as fair as Piastri was concerned.

"So, are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way or, what's the go there," the Aussie racer queried, with McLaren unable to give him an answer he was satisfied with.

Piastri still leads the drivers' championship despite finishing one place behind Norris, who took the final step on the podium last time out, but with the constructors' trophy now claimed, Piastri will surely let loose and not concern himself with fair racing in the final six rounds.

Norris 'payback' could cost him the title

In a Singapore GP review with Peter Windsor on the Cameron Cc: YouTube channel, the F1 journalist and former team manager stated that Norris' move was payback for losing a race win to Piastri last season.

“If there's a gloves off moment between Oscar and Lando it was this race and if there was a revelation of Zak's master plan of how it was all going to unfold and he was going to reveal this master plan of how he was going to manage these two guys towards the world championship finale, then I guess we saw it in Singapore and what a mess it is,” Windsor said.

“It's taken Lando a long time, but I guess that was payback for Hungary last year, was it?

"It was a little bit the same. It wasn't quite as dramatic. I mean, Lando obviously was going down the inside when Oscar thought he had got the corner as you would. You know, it's your team-mate there. You've all made reasonably clean starts.

"Then you know it's George, Max and then Oscar and all of a sudden Lando's there on his left, which you know, for team-mates, first corner it's not what you do in my opinion and I think that's an example of how Zak's master plan has plenty of flaws in it because that's the most dangerous part of the race in which to damage a car in which to eliminate both cars."

The British racer's lap one lunge on his team-mate may have earned him a podium in Singapore, but it might have just lit a fire under Piastri that could cost Norris the championship.

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F1 McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Singapore Grand Prix Zak Brown