McLaren chief Zak Brown addresses “inevitable” Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri crash

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has made a major prediction of a possible crash between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. He said that a collision is inevitable between the two, as they often race next to each other.

The Papaya team has had the fastest car of the 2025 season, and the pace advantage has given them four wins in five races. Piastri has outplayed his teammate Norris with victories in China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

However, during the season, McLaren might have to deal with driver dynamics. Both Norris and Piastri are strong contenders for the championship this year and have been allowed to race freely without team orders.

However, Zak Brown has raised the fear of a potential collision between the two teammates in the future, telling Sky Sports:

"You have two racing drivers, whether in the same team or different teams, that are next to each other for 24 races; someone's going to lock a brake. I think it will be a racing incident when that day comes. I think it's inevitable.

"They're two great characters. Neither of them are hotheads, so we're not worried about it, and to a certain extent, we're kind of looking forward to just getting it out of the way."

Interestingly, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri also fought toe-to-toe in 2024 after McLaren had a performance surge in the second half of the season. However, as Norris was fighting for the championship with Max Verstappen, Piastri followed team orders and played the team game.

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Martin Brundle analyses Zak Brown's prediction on the Norris-Piastri collision

Zak Brown [L] with Lando Norris [R] at F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Qualifying - Source: Getty

McLaren CEO Zak Brown is expecting Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to have a heated battle at some point in the 2025 season, which could lead to a crash.

However, F1 analyst Martin Brundle feels McLaren are just trying to avoid a meltdown by setting extreme expectations, telling Sky Sports:

"It's incredibly smart what they are doing. 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 is doing is managing down so the team doesn't go into meltdown, the drivers, the drivers' entourages, and indeed 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 i't."

McLaren faced strategic trouble last year while prioritising Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri. However, as both drivers have started strong this season, there are likely no clear favourites. Statistically, though, Piastri has an edge over his teammate, as he has been more consistent, less prone to errors and has more wins.