Zak Brown accuses 17-podium F1 rival of trying to ‘destabilise’ McLaren, it’s a ‘nice compliment…’

McLaren have enjoyed an almost perfect start to the 2025 Formula 1 season with pole position and the win in the opening two races.

The Woking-based outfit came into the season as clear favourites, with many rivals and experts thinking they had built a huge advantage over the field in the winter.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have turned that to reality with one win each thus far. The former fended off a charge from Max Verstappen to win in Melbourne, while the latter commanded the field from pole to take victory in Shanghai.

The McLaren duo claimed a 1-2 finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Piastri beating defending four-time champion Verstappen by over 16.5 seconds. The Woking outfit are 21 points ahead of Mercedes at the top of the standings heading into the Japanese Grand Prix.

McLaren were denied a clean sweep in China by Lewis Hamilton as he claimed his and Ferrari’s first Sprint win. Norris and Piastri will be looking to continue their momentum and lock out the front row in Japan.

McLaren insiders think they will be even faster at Suzuka than they were in Shanghai – a terrifying prospect for their rivals. It does not look like any team can challenge the MCL39 at this stage, hence why their rivals are resorting to other tactics.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Zak Brown accuses George Russell of trying to ‘destabilise’ McLaren with ‘they could win every race’ comments

George Russell has arguably been the closest challenger to the McLarens thus far, with two third-place finishes. The Mercedes driver was just over a second behind Norris at the flag in China but 11 seconds behind winner Piastri.

After the race, Russell proclaimed that McLaren had the package and potential to win every race. While CEO Zak Brown thinks it is a ‘nice compliment’, he sees it as a way his rivals are trying to ‘destabilise’ the team with mind games.

Asked about Russell’s comments in Shanghai on Techstuff, Brown replied: “Oh, that’s part of the head games and the politics that go on. That’s a way to put pressure on the team: ‘if you don’t win all 24, then you’ve done something wrong and it’s a disaster.’

“Sso that’s nothing more than some of the stuff we spoke about earlier where people put pressure on people in different ways to try and destabilise them.

“So coming out with what appears to be a nice compliment is actually a way to apply pressure.

“We won’t win 24 races this year!”

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Which McLaren driver will come out on top in 2025 – Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri?

While McLaren will surely face competition from the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull at some point in 2025, their biggest threat is themselves. Norris and Piastri are gunning to become world champions.

In 2024, it was Norris who was prioritised in his bid to win the title – which was ultimately unsuccessful. Now, Piastri wants to be team leader at McLaren, stating he would not have signed a long-term contract if he did not think he could beat Norris.

The pair have one win each thus far and are not shying away from wanting to battle each other. Norris admits there is ‘not an easy dynamic’ between him and Piastri as they both want to win the title.

Helmut Marko is ‘hopeful’ McLaren will open the door for Verstappen to defend his title as they steal points off each other. But with the Red Bull currently lacking the updates to challenge Norris and Piastri, 2025 is set to be a straight fight between the papaya duo.