Zak Brown Issues Statement on Oscar Piastri amid McLaren Exit Rumours
McLaren team principal Zak Brown has issued a statement on Oscar Piastri amid growing rumours that the world championship leader could be set for a shock exit.
With just six races left of the Formula 1 campaign, Piastri holds a narrow 22-point lead over his teammate Lando Norris.
But the team's so-called 'papaya rules' came under scrutiny last time out in Singapore when Norris banged wheels with Piastri.
The incident caused huge frustration for the Australian, and has sparked debate among fans and pundits about how McLaren will manage their championship contenders over the remainder of the campaign.
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Tensions escalated further last week, when IndyCar champion Alex Palou claimed that Brown never wanted to sign Piastri in the first place. McLaren are currently locked in a legal dispute with their former driver Palou.
The driver and his associated management companies are currently being sued for $20.7m (£15.43m) by McLaren for reneging on his IndyCar contract.
When asked to explain why he was not fulfilling his McLaren deal, Palou explained that he realise would not get a Formula 1 seat with Piastri in the team.
He also made a bold claim that Brown was not the one pushing to bring Piastri to McLaren in 2022.
Palou said: "I went for dinner with Zak at Beaverbook near MTC. Zak told me it was not his decision to hire Oscar. He said it was the decision of the team manager Andreas Seidl.
“Zak told me Piastri’s performance would be evaluated against mine for 2024. Zak said that, from his point of view my chance of getting the F1 seat was not affected by Oscar."
Speaking to Reuters ahead of this weekend's US Grand Prix, Brown hit back at those claims.
He said: "I’m not sure which allegation amused me more.
"The notion that I would not be the one making a key decision about our driver line-up, or the suggestion that I wasn’t on board with signing the hugely talented Oscar Piastri.
“Both allegations are clearly ludicrous, and anyone who follows our sport will see straight through them.”
Although there were rumours following the Singapore GP that Piastri may quit McLaren, many commentators have questioned why he would leave the team.
They have just retained the Constructors' Championship and Piastri has won seven races with the team this year.
With Formula 1 introducing new regulations next season, it remains to be seen whether McLaren's dominance will continue, but for now, they have the fastest car on the grid.
For that reason, it would make little sense for Piastri to move on, even if frustration from Singapore still lingers behind the scenes.
Topics: Formula 1, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Motorsport
James Taylor