Piastri's boss slams "ridiculous" Aussie politician claims

McLaren boss Zak Brown has taken aim at Australian politicians for their “ridiculous claims” of bias against Oscar Piastri in 2025.

Speaking at the launch of the 2026 livery and the McLaren MCL40, Brown took issue with the lingering suggestion that Lando Norris had been shown preferential treatment through last season which culminated in the Brit being crowned world champion.

Having led the Drivers’ Championship for majority of the season, Piastri’s run of form with McLaren came crashing down in early September with a disastrous outing at Baku which was compounded by a controversial team orders positional switch at Monza in the following race.

A 34-point lead on Norris and more than 100-point advantage on third place Max Verstappen slowly dwindled before a double McLaren disqualification in Las Vegas saw Piastri become the underdog in a three-driver race for the title.

Ultimately, Piastri finished the season third amid relentless speculation he had fallen victim to unfair treatment behind closed doors.

The issue even reached the floor of parliament with one politician saying Brown had cost Piastri the title.

Asked if he expected a hostile reception when the F1 circus touches down in Melbourne next month for the 2026 season opener, Brown said: “I think fans – put aside countries – all have various opinions in sport.

“It can be frustrating when some people – and again, this isn’t country specific – are very uninformed and the statements you see are just ridiculous.

“But I don’t think that’s territory specific.

“I think, as Oscar has communicated many times, he knows he’s getting a fair shake at it. You win some you lose some. Things fall your way, things don’t fall your way.

“We lost Oscar some points, we lost Lando a lot of points in Holland, etcetera.

“I think we just need to keep our head down, stay focused and the people that matter most to us know that we bring total sporting fairness to our racing team, our papaya fans and our sponsors, family and friends.

“It’s a shame that people in parliament, who I would say are pretty far removed from understanding Formula 1, vocalise things like that.

“I wouldn’t dare, because I’m not knowledgeable, comment on the job they’re doing.

“But I bet I can make some comments.”

McLaren are looking for a third consecutive constructors title in 2026.

Diplomatic as ever, Piastri said he was excited about what the new car and season would bring.

"We've got a big challenge ahead with the new regulations, but I come into this year with a lot of positivity and ready to tackle this new era of Formula 1 head on," he said.

"We've taken a lot of good learnings from last year, so I am feeling stronger than ever, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve this year."