Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Brown warns of Verstappen Qatar GP start lunge, pushes for his elimination

22:09, 29 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

McLaren CEO Zak Brown, says the Qatar GP start will be one he "wouldn't miss."

"Our goal is to make sure papaya wins this championship, so if we can finish where we've started here and just have it be a two-horse race in Abu Dhabi, that's our goal."

- Zak Brown

Zak Brown thinks Max Verstappen will make Qatar GP start one you can't miss. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Max Verstappen has managed to qualify in P3, crucially right behind McLaren drivers polesitter Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris - the championship leader - in P2.

"For sure, you know he's going to try and lead into Turn 1," Brown said to F1TV, wary of a potential classic Verstappen lunge being sent up the inside of their drivers. "So I wouldn't miss the start of tomorrow's grand prix."

"Our goal is to make sure papaya wins this championship, so if we can finish where we've started here and just have it be a two-horse race in Abu Dhabi, that's our goal. And if they want to reverse positions that's up to them, I don't care."

Regarding the way the team expects Piastri and Norris to carry out their fight for the win in tomorrow's race, Brown insisted that McLaren trusted in their drivers' decision-making, reaffirming that the ultimate goal was to look as good as possible come the final round of the championship in Abu Dhabi.

"It's business as usual, they know the rules, we love watching them race, they race each other hard, they race each other cleanly, so, they know if they can kind of check out that we'll be looking good in Abu Dhabi. But let's see, they've got to do that first," he concluded.

Verstappen will try everything to keep title hopes alive

Max Verstappen, starting P3 for the Qatar Grand Prix, said he would attack aggressively at the start to try to pass Norris, noting that the Briton scoring more points would hurt his title hopes. Read more

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