McLaren CEO Zak Brown has hinted at the team’s strategic approach going into the showstopping finale in Abu Dhabi, insisting that “it’s all to play for” after the title contenders occupied the top three spots in Qualifying.
Brown’s drivers both missed out on pole position to Max Verstappen, with Standings leader Lando Norris taking P2 while Oscar Piastri settled for third place in a gripping Qualifying hour that saw the Red Bull driver eke out a gap of two tenths over the papaya pair.
With the championship on the line, the goal is clear for McLaren – they want one of their racers to clinch the title, and that is much more straightforward for Norris. His 12-point lead means that all he needs to do is finish on the podium, whereas Piastri would need multiple things to go wrong for his rivals in order to take victory.
They undoubtedly have an advantage by having both drivers starting towards the front of the grid as Verstappen’s departing team mate Yuki Tsunoda, who assisted by giving him a tow in Qualifying, will be much further behind in P10.
Reflecting on the session, Brown told F1 TV: “I feel good. We’ve got a good race car for tomorrow. Get a good start tomorrow, good first lap, things settle in. I think we’ve got a little advantage when it comes to strategy and we’ll see what happens. It’s going to be a nail-biter.
“I think Lando’s disappointed he didn’t get pole, and Oscar’s disappointed he didn’t get pole. I think there were maybe some little nerves at the start in Q1, but then everything settled down and it was business as usual.
“Max put in two spectacular laps – he was concerned about the tow that he got from Tsunoda but he didn’t need it the second time around. Hopefully they dialled in a one-lap wonder and they’ll pay the price tomorrow, but I’m not so sure that’s the case.”
The prospect of deploying team orders to secure the title has reared its head multiple times going into this weekend – on Thursday’s media day, Norris mentioned that no discussions had taken place, but Brown quickly confirmed that they would be willing to utilise them.
They have been a constant sticking point for the Woking outfit over the last two seasons, with their unrelenting focus on fairness occasionally creating tension, such as in Monza when the Australian was asked to let his team mate through after he suffered a slow pit stop.
Nevertheless, Brown appeared confident that their approach will not change for the finale, and extensive conversations about all the possible scenarios that could unfold in the 58-lap race will take place.
Asked to elaborate on how those necessary talks will take place, he replied: “We’re going to have them tonight and then again in the morning. We’re going to have an initial chat tonight then sleep on it, but it’s all to play for so I think going into tomorrow, it’s the obvious ‘don’t trade any paint’ as they say in NASCAR land.
“See how the race plays out, and if it becomes apparent that one or the other is in a position where they can or can’t win, then we’ll look at strategy. I think sitting here right now, it’s all to play for. It’s go, go, go.
“You’ve got two guys going for the championship so I’m sure Oscar’s mindset is ‘I need to win’. If he wins, that takes points off Max which means Lando doesn’t even need to finish third. There are two different mindsets, but the field is so close.
“I think the minute you’re not fully on it or if you’re too conservative, you’ll get swallowed up by the cars behind because it’s so close. I think it’s kind of business as usual – that’s got to be the approach.
“Max is a smart racing driver, not only fast, so we’ll be ready for all the different scenarios.”
