Zak Brown Gives Telling Answer When Asked About Oscar Piastri ‘Sabotage’

McLaren chief Zac Brown gave a telling response when accused of creating a car that suited F1 world champion Lando Norris more than teammate Oscar Piastri.

McLaren brought home both the Constructors' Championship and Drivers' Championship in a triumphant 2025 season - with Norris winning the title after finishing just two points ahead of four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

A third-placed finish in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was enough to crown the Brit despite Verstappen taking the victory at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Piastri had to settle for third, 13 points behind Norris with seven race wins and 16 podiums.

The Australian had a significant lead over Norris and Verstappen back in August but struggled to maintain the same level after the summer break.

Piastri congratulated Norris after his huge win. Image: Getty

McLaren were regularly accused of giving Norris preferential treatment ahead of Piastri and regularly denied that any favouritism was displayed.

But after the season was concluded, Brown had to speak out again. The McLaren chief executive took part in a series of radio interviews in the UK and on talkSPORT, fielded questions from listeners.

One read out from host Jim White asked, "what change did they make to the car in the mid-season break so that it then favoured their favourite driver?".

After a laugh, Brown replied: "You build the race car for both your drivers. We started off with a great car so the developments are milliseconds."

Despite tensions which reportedly saw Piastri prevented from doing media with Australian outlets ahead of the final race of the season, Brown has tipped the 24-year-old to become the second world champion from McLaren next season.

Inside scoop on Piastri potential transfer

In March Piastri signed a new long-term contract extension which is believed to last until 2028 but rumours about his situation still persist - with speculation that his representatives may have been reaching out to Red Bull over a shock switch.

On the Inside the Piranha Club podcast, F1 journalist Rebecca Clancy said there were a lot of rumours about a potential transfer in 2027.

Piastri finished 13 points behind Norris having previously led the title race. Image: Getty

Weighing in, fellow reporter Ben Hunt stated: "I’m sure conversations have happened with regard to the parties, and what if. You wouldn’t be a Formula 1 manager doing your business if you weren’t checking on people’s availability, so it’s entirely plausible that that could happen.

"But we won’t know until halfway through, or certainly a quarter of the way through next season.

"If Ford do come in with a super engine and Red Bull pull it all together, then Verstappen won’t be going anywhere, and people will be looking to join that team, and it’s not just Oscar Piastri, it’s probably all of them lining up to join. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen because Ford still have quite a lot of work to do behind the scenes."

Discussing next season and competing with Norris again, Piastri said that his teammate did not "become Superman" by winning the championship and stressed that he expects "full fairness from the team and equality going forward."

With a slew of new regulations, the 2026 campaign will kick off in March, in Melbourne, Australia.