McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted that a collision between his championship-contending drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is "inevitable" as they battle for the 2025 Formula 1 title.
The McLaren boss is taking a pragmatic approach to the potential incident, describing it as "a matter of when, not if" as the teammates continue their close-fought contest at the top of the standings.
Brown's candid comments come as the British team finds itself in the enviable position of having both drivers in championship contention.
Norris currently leads Piastri by just three points in the drivers' standings as they head into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will crash soon, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted
Reuters
The McLaren pair have dominated the opening races of the 2025 season, with Norris winning in Australia while Piastri claimed impressive victories in both China and Bahrain.
So far, the teammates have kept their on-track battles clean and respectful.
McLaren appear to be the team to beat in Saudi Arabia, though Norris will start from 10th following a qualifying crash while Piastri secured second on the grid.
Speaking ahead of qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Brown told Sky Sports F1: "I think it's definitely a matter of when, than if.
"You have two racing drivers, whether in the same team or different team, that are next to each other for 24 races, someone's going to lock a brake."
The McLaren CEO added: "So, I'm kind of looking forward to getting it over with because I don't think it's going to be anywhere near as exciting as everybody thinks."
Brown expressed confidence in his drivers' temperaments, noting: "They're two great characters. Neither of them are hotheads."
Brown's approach has been praised by Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle, who called it "incredibly smart".
Lando Norris has an uphill struggle to reach a podium finish on Sunday in Jeddah
Reuters
"What Zak is saying there is that 'papaya rules' will become 'papaya wrecks' at some point," Brundle explained.
He continued: "What that is doing is managing down so the team doesn't go into meltdown, the drivers, the drivers' entourages, and indeed the media."
Brundle added that Brown is effectively saying: "We know it's going to happen, we'll manage it when it does turn up, but don't all overreact to it."
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Not since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix have two teammates challenging for the world championship collided during a race.
McLaren themselves haven't faced this situation since the infamous rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost back in 1989.
