Zak Brown: McLaren won't "pay attention to external noise" in drivers' championship fight

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has insisted the Woking outfit will not pay attention to external noise amid the intense battle in the drivers' championship.

Throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season, McLaren has opted to allow both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to race, with the one proviso that they do not crash into each other. While this has made for an exciting championship fight and intense on-track battles, it has been met with some criticism as the team will not back a number-one driver. 

Before the summer break, the team looked like it would comfortably celebrate one of its drivers as world champion come the season's end. But a late post-summer break surge from four-time champion Max Verstappen is threatening those chances.

With just four rounds remaining in the season, which will include two sprint races, Lando Norris leads his team-mate Oscar Piastri by one point. Verstappen trails in third, 36 points behind championship leader Norris.

"We stay focused on ourselves, and we don't pay attention to external noise," Brown explained during a McLaren family event when asked what the team was doing to ensure it remains at the front.

"And the last thing I would like to add is that we’ve won the four races I wanted us to win this year. We wanted to win in Bahrain for our big boss, we wanted to win in Monaco for the Triple Crown – and because it’s Monaco – and we wanted to win Australia and Silverstone because they’re our drivers' home races.

Andrea Stella, McLaren, Zak Brown, McLaren

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

"If you had asked me at the beginning of the year, which are the four races you want to win, those are the four I would have said."

Team principal Andrea Stella added: "I think Oscar said it well earlier, when he spoke about constant evolution, and that’s what I want to refer to. In Formula 1, if you think you can relax, rest, or slow down because things are working well, then you are going to have big surprises in the future. You need to keep evolving, you need to keep finding ways to progress – you need to change for the better."