Will History Repeat Itself At McLaren? Zak Brown On 2007 Title Repeat

Formula 1 fans know that McLaren has a history full of drama and thrilling competition, and 2007 was one of the most unforgettable seasons. Now, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has pointed out that the current title battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could repeat the historic, intense rivalry McLaren had back in 2007. So, the big question is: Will history repeat itself at McLaren? Let’s find out.

What Happened In 2007?

Back in 2007, McLaren was buzzing with excitement but also tension. The team had two incredible drivers, Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton, both fighting hard for the World Championship. They shared four wins each during the season, but things were far from peaceful. Alonso had trouble dealing with Hamilton’s rise, and the tension grew so much that Alonso was even penalized for blocking Hamilton in qualifying at Hungary.

On top of this on-track rivalry, McLaren was hit by a massive scandal called “Spygate.” One of their engineers got hold of secret information from rival Ferrari, and the fallout was huge: McLaren was fined $100 million and banned from the Constructors’ Championship that year. Meanwhile, their drivers kept battling for the drivers’ title right until the last race. In the end, Kimi Räikkönen from Ferrari snatched the championship by just one point, while Hamilton and Alonso both finished just behind with 109 points each, making 2007 one of the closest and most dramatic seasons ever.

Will History Repeat Itself?

Fast forward to 2025, and McLaren finds itself in a somewhat similar situation. Zak Brown admits that the fierce competition between Norris and Piastri could create the same kind of high-pressure rivalry as Alonso and Hamilton back in 2007. Both Norris and Piastri are talented, hungry young drivers eager to prove themselves. McLaren’s open approach to letting the two fight for the top spot means the internal battle is wide open, without team orders to settle things easily.

He said, “We have our belief system, and we just stick to it. We’re comfortable with how we go racing. We also know we don’t always get it right. We are and always will be, and I think we always have been, a two-car team. We recognise the consequences of that could be 2007. You got two drivers that tie and lose to Kimi by a point. We could have won that Drivers’ Championship, but who do you pick? And then you run the risk of the guy you don’t pick, he’s out of here.”

Zak Brown’s honest take shows that McLaren values healthy competition, even if it leads to tension. He acknowledges the risks involved but also suggests that pushing each other could help the team climb to the top together. He said, “Our drivers are treated equally fairly. There’s nothing in their contract that gives one priority over the other, nor have they ever asked for that. They just want fair and equal treatment.”

“We know that benefits the team. They accept that, they’re cool with that, and we know the risk of that, if you’d like, from a driver point of view, is 2007. But I think the downside of favouring one or the other is one then wants to leave, which is exactly what happened at the end of ’07 [anyway]. And you put the Constructors’ Championship at risk, right? You see other teams favour one, and that kind of is beneficial to the Drivers’ Championship, but detrimental to the Constructors’. Both championships are equally important to us.”

The 2025 title fight is shaping up to be thrilling, just like in 2007. But the difference? As Zak Brown mentions, “I’m sure Fernando was going, ‘Man, this Lewis guy just got here, this is really irritating’. But he [Norris] doesn’t say anything about that. I think he [Norris] has just got a mindset of, ‘I want to win the championship and my team-mate’s my number one competition’. So I don’t think it’ll be easier or harder for either of them.”

Fans will be watching closely to see if history really does repeat itself for McLaren, but one thing is for sure: the rivalry between Norris and Piastri will be one of the key stories in Formula 1 this season, just as the Alonso-Hamilton duel was 18 years ago.

Also read: Lando Norris On Rivalry With Oscar Piastri, “We’ll All Be Dead…”