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F1

Oscar Piastri disputes Zak Brown's view on F1 driver friendships

The McLaren driver has dismissed the idea that closeness away from the track makes rivals less willing to race each other hard, after his team's chief executive argued exactly that in a book.

By Sportsback
Oscar PiastriTheSportsDB · free-tier / non-commercial — review before commercial launch

Oscar Piastri has dismissed the suggestion that close friendships between Formula 1 drivers cost them an edge on track, after his own team's chief executive argued the opposite. The McLaren driver responded to Zak Brown, the McLaren Racing CEO, who wrote in a book that he would prefer his drivers not to be friends. Piastri's position was put after several current Formula 1 drivers travelled together to Langkawi.

Brown's case, made in print rather than announced as team policy, is that off-track camaraderie can leave drivers reluctant to race one another aggressively. He stated a preference for drivers who are not friends. The argument is a general one about how relationships between drivers shape what happens on track.

2026
Oscar Piastri, Australia
Oscar PiastriMcLaren · AustraliaDriver
POS
7th
PTS
120
WINS
0
PODIUMS
2
Season 2026Sportsback

What Piastri said

Oscar Piastri, AustraliaJJHowlett · CC BY-SA 4.0

Piastri brushed the concerns aside rather than examining them case by case. His response rejects the premise that friendship changes how hard a driver will fight for a position. The two positions are a straight disagreement: a driver saying closeness is not a factor, and an executive saying it can be.

The trip that brought the question up involved several current Formula 1 drivers and the destination Langkawi. Who exactly was present, and what the group did there, has not been set out.

Why the question matters

McLarenLukas Raich · CC BY-SA 4.0

Teams have a practical interest in the answer. If friendship does dull a driver's willingness to overtake or defend, that becomes a performance question as much as a cultural one, and it lands with the people running the garage rather than the drivers alone. Brown's view, published in a book, is a public signal of how one team's leadership sees it. Piastri's dismissal shows the drivers involved need not share that view.

No rule appears to have followed at McLaren. The preference was written down rather than announced as a change to how the team manages its drivers, and nothing has been said publicly about new instructions. The practical test would arrive in a race where two drivers on friendly terms are fighting for the same piece of track.

What is not yet known

  • Whether Brown was describing McLaren policy or a personal view expressed in a book.
  • How the other drivers who went to Langkawi see it; none has been quoted on the subject.
  • Whether Piastri and Brown have discussed the difference of opinion directly.
  • Whether other teams take the same line on friendships inside a garage.

What is clear is that Piastri is not treating the friendships as a problem, while McLaren's leadership has put the opposite view into public. Both positions now sit side by side, and the remaining races are where any difference between them would show.

Frequently asked questions

What did Zak Brown say about F1 drivers being friends?
In a book, the McLaren Racing CEO wrote that he prefers drivers not to be friends, on the grounds that off-track camaraderie can make them reluctant to race each other aggressively.
How has Oscar Piastri responded?
The McLaren driver has brushed the concern aside, rejecting the idea that close friendships between drivers affect their competitive edge on track.
Which drivers went on the Langkawi trip?
The drivers involved have not been named. What is known is that several current Formula 1 drivers travelled to Langkawi, and that the trip is what prompted the discussion of driver friendships.
Is it McLaren policy that drivers should not be friends?
No such policy has been announced. Brown expressed the preference in a book, and nothing has been said publicly about it becoming a rule for how the team runs its drivers.

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