Brown 'understanding' of former F1 champion's 'mental' criticism of Norris

The Australian suggested, in an interview with Fox Sports Australia, that Oscar Piastri had already defeated his 'mentally weak' teammate, with the 24-year-old winning four races out of the six to open the 2025 season.

"He [Piastri] can do it [win the title] this year, no question. At the end of the day, his teammate is weak," Jones previously stated, then went on to praise Piastri for his composure.

"His team-mate is quite quick; there’s no doubt about that. But mentally, I think he’s quite a weak person. He’s coming out with all this nonsense that he’s got a bit of a mental thing, he’s dwelling on some of the problems he’s had rather than the positives. When they start talking all that nonsense, you know you’ve got them." Piastri, on the other hand, was praised for his composure.

In response to those comments by the former world champion, Brown has staunchly defended his driver, saying that Norris’ openness about his mental problems is being misinterpreted.

"First of all, I am a big fan of Alan Jones," Brown begins speaking to, amongst others, Motorsport.com. "But I think it's easy and understandable for people to have a view on other people from the outside looking in.

Brown also recalled his recent conversation with tennis superstar Novak Djokovic about how elite athletes handle their emotions.

"I thought that was fascinating about how he uses his range of emotions to perform. So no, I didn't agree with the comments, but I understand why he might have that view. And he was a tough guy, right? So that's probably not how he would roll. So, yeah, one person's opinion," the American said, continuing to aggressively defend Norris.

The Brit has so far struggled to get the maximum out of the MCL39, especially with one-lap pace during qualifying. It was a car that was significantly modified for 2025 and suits him less well than teammate Piastri.

"I think he needs to stop striving for perfection," the McLaren CEO continued. "If you talk to any driver, they'll always say they've never done the perfect lap, so I think just focus on doing the best you can.

"For me, perfection is doing the best you can, and if you miss that apex by three inches or a meter too late, that's going to happen. So, I think striving to do the best you can is the best approach," Brown concluded.