McLaren CEO Zak Brown feels it’s “inevitable” drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will collide on the observe at some stage as they push to win the F1 world championship.
Championship chief Piastri is 10 factors forward of second-placed Norris after 5 grands prix of the 2025 season having recorded three wins to his team-mate’s one.
Piastri and Norris – subsequent in motion on the Miami GP this weekend – are free to race, with McLaren having no designated No 1 driver.
There have been no main incidents between the pair as but, though Brown expects that to alter and is trying ahead to getting a conflict out of the way in which.
He stated: “I believe it is undoubtedly a matter of when, moderately than if.
“You’ve gotten two racing drivers, whether or not in the identical workforce or totally different workforce, which might be subsequent to one another for twenty-four races, somebody’s going to lock a brake…
“So I am type of trying ahead to getting it over with as a result of I do not assume it is going to be anyplace close to as thrilling as everyone thinks.
“I think it will be a racing incident when that day comes. I think it’s inevitable.
“They’re two nice characters. Neither of them are hotheads, so we’re not frightened about it, and to a sure extent, type of trying ahead to only getting it out of the way in which.”
Brundle: Brown is stopping McLaren ‘meltdown’
Sky Sports activities F1’s Martin Brundle says Brown’s acceptance that there shall be a Piastri-Norris collision means the workforce won’t go into “meltdown” when it does occur.
“It’s incredibly smart what they are doing,” stated Brundle.
“What Zak is saying there is that ‘papaya rules’ [McLaren’s way of saying ‘keep your racing clean’] will become ‘papaya wrecks’ at some point.
“[He’s saying] ‘we’ve got two incredibly fast drivers with a potential championship-winning car and it’s going to get rough at some point’.
“What that’s doing is managing down so the workforce does not go into meltdown, the drivers, the drivers’ entourages, and certainly the media.
“What he’s saying is ‘we know it’s going to happen, we’ll manage it when it does turn up, but don’t all overreact to it’.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s Miami GP schedule
Thursday Could 1
7pm: Drivers’ Press Convention
Friday Could 2
3pm: F1 Academy Follow 1
5pm: Miami GP Follow (session begins at 5.30pm)
7.30pm: Crew Bosses’ Press Convention
8.15pm: F1 Academy Follow 2
9.05pm: Miami GP Dash Qualifying (session begins at 9.30pm)
Saturday Could 3
3.20pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
4pm: MIAMI GP SPRINT (race begins at 5pm)
6.30pm: Ted’s Dash Pocket book
7.50pm: F1 Academy Race 1
8.35pm: Miami GP Qualifying build-up
9pm: MIAMI GP QUALIFYING*
11pm: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book*
Sunday Could 4
6pm: F1 Academy Race 2
7.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Miami GP build-up*
9pm: The MIAMI GRAND PRIX*
11pm: Chequered Flag: Miami GP response*
Midnight: Ted’s Pocket book
*additionally dwell on Sky Sports activities Predominant Occasion
Components 1 heads to Miami for a Dash weekend, dwell on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime