Zac Brown: We always knew Oscar was a talented racer

Zac Brown was in Nashville last weekend for the IndyCar championship finale and his driver Pato O’Ward finished second in that race. However, this meant that the McLaren Racing executive director was unable to witness Oscar Piastri’s stunning victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

“It turns out I missed both Oscar wins because I was at the IndyCar races both times, but now the season is over! – Brown said on Sky Sports. – He had an incredible race in Baku and I was pleasantly surprised that he managed to repel all the attacks from Charles Leclerc. It was impossible to make a mistake, and he, who defended his position perfectly, did not make a single mistake. As far as I’m concerned, he acted fantastically!

We always knew he was a talented driver, but I’ve been saying all year that McLaren have two great drivers in Formula 1. I think we’re the ones who have the best combination of youth, talent and experience.”

Speaking about the events of the first day of the weekend in Singapore, Brown explained: “Before the start of practice in Singapore, a wheel nut on Piastri’s car became stuck and it took some time to remove the wheel. The problem has now been resolved, but it remains to be seen what caused it.”

Naturally, Brown was asked about McLaren’s flexible rear wings, as rivals suspect the team is breaching technical regulations.

“Our car has passed all the FIA ​​tests,” he replied. “I think Formula 1 has very smart engineers and because the solutions we are implementing fit the federation, we just keep working. Because we are the leader in the team competition, everyone inevitably takes a closer look at our car, and of course it can happen that someone doesn’t like something.”

With Norris having a better chance than his team-mate in the title fight, Brown had to answer the question of team tactics: what will McLaren management do if Oscar leads on Sunday in Singapore and Lando is in second place.

“Ultimately, the decision will be made by Andrea Stella,” Brown avoided a direct answer. “I can only say that it is always difficult to prefer one of the riders when the victory is at stake. And here you always have to take into account all the circumstances.

“We’re going to look at each race individually. Of course Lando wants to win the title with dignity. There’s still a long way to go until the end of the championship, but if Oscar is leading the race, I’m not sure Lando wants to inherit the victory in this way.”