McLaren make Senna-Prost comparison in team orders defence

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has drawn upon Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to defend his squad’s stance on team orders.

Together with team principal Andrea Stella, the 52-year-old is coming under increasing pressure to invoke team orders in aid of Lando Norris’ drivers’ championship pursuit.

The Italian Grand Prix was characterised by papaya rules, McLaren’s version of racing intent – the laws Mercedes introduced to govern the hostile relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Until now, however, McLaren has been hesitant, stopping short of enacting outright team orders, even though it risks losing out on the drivers’ championship through its principled approach.

Whilst it appears the team will now prioritise Norris, who stands a better chance of de-throning Max Verstappen, over Oscar Piastri, Brown lent on past examples to support the decision not to install a number one driver.

When challenged over his stance on Sky Sports F1, the American replied: “Number one priority is to win both championships.

“I know that’s two priorities, but they’re both young drivers who want to win.

“We’ve always believed in having two number ones. That’s always been McLaren’s way.

“It can be very difficult to manage. You know what it was like with Lewis [Hamilton]. We’ve seen it with Senna and Prost.”

Norris and Piastri ‘get along great’

The storied drivers raced for the Woking-based outfit together for two seasons in 1988 and 1989, taking one drivers’ championship apiece – Senna the first year and Prost the second.

However, the team-mates endured a fractious relationship, one that ultimately came to a head in the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix with the infamous collision at the Casio Triangle with the title on the line.

It precipitated Prost leaving for Ferrari at the end of the season and has long been used as the blueprint for why having two drivers on an even footing in a championship-calibre team is not sustainable.

However, despite McLaren’s history, Brown insists his two current drivers “get along great” and seemingly do not pose a risk at curtailing the team’s constructors’ championship aspirations.

Whether that can, or will, remain the case in the future is open to question. But for now, it appears McLaren will review its approach on a race-by-race basis.

“They [Norris and Piastri] get along great. They do race each other clean,” he said.

“And then it’s philosophical. Are you a one-car team or a two-car team?

“The easiest thing would have been for Lando to just run away with it and then not have to put difficult decisions on the pit wall, but, Andrea [Stella] and I are taking it one race at a time.”