McLaren CEO Zak Brown has controversially stated he would rather see Red Bull’s Max Verstappen win the 2025 F1 title than risk repeating the disastrous in-team rivalry of the 2007 season between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
With McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri separated by only a single point, and Verstappen surging within 36 points of the lead, Brown fears that picking a favourite could lead to the same internal chaos that cost McLaren the 2007 championship to Kimi Räikkönen.
Speaking on Beyond The Grid, Brown said, “In the event 2007 happens again… I’d rather have that outcome than all the other outcomes by playing favourites.”
Verstappen’s late-season comeback has given him an outsider’s chance, mirroring Räikkönen’s triumph.
However, Brown’s policy of allowing the drivers to race has drawn criticism from fans online, who accuse the team of implicitly favouring Norris over Piastri, despite the Australian’s earlier championship lead.
