McLaren’s leadership is bracing for a tense final run-in to the Formula 1 season, which could be a flashback of one of the sport’s most dramatic title twists, but this time involving Max Verstappen instead of Kimi Raikkonen.
With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked in a tight intra-team duel, McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella have acknowledged the “nightmare” scenario of losing the championship to a late-surging Verstappen.
Could McLaren’s Intra-Team Battle Help Max Verstappen Pull Off a Kimi Raikkonen-Style Win?
Heading into the last four races, Norris and Piastri are separated by a single point at the top of the standings. However, Verstappen’s resurgence has reignited the title fight.
The Red Bull driver, who was a distant 104 points behind just weeks ago, has slashed the gap to only 36 points, sparking comparisons to Raikkonen’s stunning comeback in 2007.
That year, Räikkönen went into the final race of the season in Brazil in third place with 100 points. Hamilton was on 107 and his teammate Alonso on 103. In an intense finale, Hamilton suffered from a gearbox problem, and McLaren watched as Räikkönen stole the victory right under their noses.
For Brown, the parallels are impossible to ignore. “I’d shake his hand and say ‘job well done’,” Brown said of Verstappen, should he win the title.
Despite the high stakes, Brown insists McLaren won’t impose team orders, at least not yet. “I’d rather go ‘we did the best we can, and our drivers tied in points, and the other guy beat us by one’ than the alternative, which is telling one of our drivers right now when they’re one point away from each other: ‘I know you have a dream to win the world championship, but we flipped a coin, and you don’t get to do it this year.’ Forget it. That’s not how we go racing.
“In the event 2007 happens again? I’d rather have that outcome than all the other outcomes by playing favourites. We won’t do it. We’re racers. We’re going racing.”
Has McLaren Learned the Lessons of Its Past?
Inside the McLaren camp, the pressure is mounting. Both Norris and Piastri have demonstrated blistering pace throughout the season, but the rivalry has intensified as the title nears its climax. Managing internal competition without repeating the 2007 implosion has become a delicate task for the team’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Verstappen and Red Bull continue to loom as the ultimate wildcard. Though Red Bull’s form dipped mid-season, Verstappen’s relentless consistency and knack for capitalizing on others’ misfortune ensure he is never ruled out.