McLaren boss anticipates Norris and Piastri ‘swapping paint again'
London
McLaren boss Zak Brown said he is 'fully anticipating' that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will collide again this season as the intra-team tension intensifies to be crowned champion of the world.
Norris heads into Formula One's summer break just nine points behind Piastri in the standings following his third win from his last four appearances at Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Piastri came close to taking Norris out on the penultimate lap as they duelled for the win. There was a similar narrow escape between the McLaren drivers at the Red Bull Ring in June, a fortnight after Norris ran into the back of Piastri in Canada.
'There is competitiveness brewing but we are not feeling any tension,' insisted Brown.
'As the championship builds, I am sure that tension will grow. We are fully anticipating them swapping paint again at some point but I am very confident it wouldn't be deliberate, which is when you get into problems and get bad blood.
'I don't think they will fall out because of the communication, trust and respect we all have and they have for each other. We are very fortunate to have the two personalities that we have and I am looking forward to them racing each other. They are free to race. And if something bubbles up we will deal with it.
'It is not the elephant in the room because we talk about it. We meet every Sunday morning, they know each other's strategy, and we are totally transparent.
'I have said to both of them individually: 'Has your team-mate done anything to p*** you off?' Never. And that's what they have both said. Fundamentally you've got two great, respectful guys and their relationship today is the best it has ever been.'
Norris drove well at the Hungaroring but could count himself somewhat fortunate to win after he qualified behind Piastri and then dropped two places to fifth on the first lap.
A one-stop strategy reversed his fortunes but Norris admitted afterwards that he is 'not making life easy for myself' and there have been doubts as to the 25-year-old's title credentials.
Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, said recently that 'the championship is going to be decided in Lando's head'.
But Brown responded: 'Lando is in a great place. There was also a time Lando couldn't win from pole position, according to the world, and he has won four of his last five races from pole, so I think this kind of narrative around Lando is not accurate.
'He is open, he kind of wears his emotions on his sleeve, everyone is different, and Lando of a year ago could maybe be more critical on himself but he is in a great place, I've never seen him in a better place and he is doing an awesome job.'
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