Zak Brown Relegates Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri to Bench as IndyCar Duo Set to Take Over F1 Duties

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have become quite untouchable ahead of the midfield after the McLaren upgrades. The Papaya boys are up fighting in the big leagues now with the F1 front runners since the British GP. There were some doubts initially, however, they were boiled down to the shortcomings of the MCL60. Once the problems in the McLaren Challenger were rectified, the duo hasn’t looked back. Despite that, McLaren CEO Zak Brown communicated a rather surprising decision to bench & rest both Norris and Piastri for a visionary reason.

McLaren competes in multiple racing competitions, which include Formula E and IndyCar. The IndyCar wing of McLaren has a gem in Pato O’Ward who has been pipped by many to join the circus. In addition to O’Ward, McLaren also wants to test Álex Palou. The two have already tested for McLaren in the past, but Brown revealed to Speedweek, they’re ready to take the next step.

Brown said, “We haven’t made a final decision yet, but we have to use rookies in free practice. After the IndyCar finale in Laguna Seca in September, you will see the two in the Formula 1 environment.” [translated via Google]

McLaren has to fulfill the criteria of giving two rookie drivers a couple of FP1 outings as other teams. Thus, with a big pool of drivers from the IndyCar & Formula E contingents, Zak Brown & Andrea Stella may not face much hassle in managing these FP1 appearances for Pato O’Ward or Alex Palou.

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Brown believes this free practice run is just a stepping stone for the two IndyCar drivers. In fact, the American boss believes both have F1 championship-winning pedigree.

Zak Brown heaps of huge praise for Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou before their substitution for Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri

The FP1 outings give the rookies a rare opportunity and also work as a preliminary test for the teams. Alex Palou did one such outing last year at COTA during the US GP, McLaren will use this rule again to test out its IndyCar stars. According to Brown, the two will undoubtedly impress as they have a championship-winning pedigree.

Brown said, “I am absolutely convinced that both have Formula 1 potential. Palou’s form this season comes as no surprise but is nonetheless very impressive. He dominates in the IndyCars, where normally one cannot be dominant. And Pato can also become a champion.”

We are not sure what the future holds, but McLaren is definitely preparing for it. It will be interesting to see how the two IndyCar men fare during their practice sessions later in the year.

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