SHOCK: ZAK BROWN OFFICIALLY CROWNS OSCAR PIASTRI AS MCLAREN’S FUTURE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP KING.
Zak Brown declares Oscar Piastri a "Future World Champion" despite Lando Norris’s dramatic 2025 title victory.
Oscar Piastri might've missed out on the F1 2025 title since Lando Norris won, but Zak Brown thinks Piastri's got a bright future.
Brown, the McLaren Racing CEO, believes Piastri will be a world champion someday. He said F1 can be tough since both Norris and Piastri raced great, but Norris got the title.
Zak Brown on Oscar Piastri: ‘Future World Champion’
Piastri looked like he might win his first World Championship halfway through the season. He was ahead of Norris by 34 points after the Dutch Grand Prix, but Norris caught up, and Piastri's performance dipped a bit.
Even though Piastri did better near the end, it wasn't enough. Norris beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen by two points to take the crown. Piastri ended up in third after the Abu Dhabi race, which was a close fight between the three of them.
Brown is sure Piastri will get his chance.
"He's going to be a world champion," Brown said about Piastri on Sky F1.
Both our drivers won seven races and raced amazingly, and they supported each other.
It's a tough sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.
But I can't wait to race with these two guys next year.
Even though Piastri didn't win, F1 2025 was still a season where he improved a lot during his third year.
Piastri talked about learning stuff that would help him later, as he plans to come back in 2026 and try again.
The 2026 season should be interesting because there are new rules for the cars and engines, which could shake things up.
“I would have liked a different ending, but I think this year I’ve learned so much about myself as a driver and as a person,” Piastri told Media.
“If you told me at the start of the year that I would get pole positions, wins, and podiums, I would have been happy.
“And even when things were tough, I learned a lot about myself and how to be stronger later on.
“So, there’s a bit of sadness, of course, but I’m proud of the season I had, and I’ve learned a lot for the future.”
THE PAPAYA BLUEPRINT: DISCOVER MCLAREN’S NEW 2026 LIVERIES AND ADVANCED TECH INFRASTRUCTURE
McLaren IndyCar unveils its 2026 liveries and a massive new Indiana HQ as President Trump announces a DC race for the US 250th.
McLaren’s IndyCar team just pulled the covers off its 2026 liveries and showed off a brand-new American headquarters, hoping to ride the momentum from its best season yet.
Last year, the US side of the Papaya crew had a lot to cheer about. Pato O’Ward, piloting car No. 5, snagged two wins and finished second in the championship. Christian Lundgaard, who’s joining full-time in 2025, chipped in with a fifth-place finish, helping cement McLaren’s breakout year. The team hit a record 12 podiums—no small feat.
Nolan Siegel spent his rookie year learning the ropes with the three-car squad. Now, with the bar set higher, McLaren needs every bit of firepower from its drivers if it wants to take the fight to Alex Palou and Ganassi. Palou clinched the 2025 title with two races left on the calendar, so the challenge is real.
The new McLaren Racing Centre is a big piece of the puzzle. They bought the facility from Andretti, who’s shifting its IndyCar operation elsewhere. Originally built in 1997 for Team Green (which eventually became Andretti), the place got a massive facelift after McLaren moved in last year—expanding from 30,000 to 86,000 square feet.
Meanwhile, Andretti had planned to house its IndyCar team alongside the Cadillac Grand Prix project (both under the TWG Motorsports banner) at a custom-built spot in Fishers, Indiana. But with F1’s cost cap rules kicking in, Andretti had to change course and ended up transforming the old Indianapolis Star newspaper HQ into a new base for its US single-seater and Formula E teams.
“We’re really excited to be working out of the McLaren Racing Centre, with all the space, tech, and infrastructure finally under one roof,” said Tony Kanaan, the McLaren IndyCar boss.
“Nothing’s changed for us—growth, winning the Indy 500, and chasing the championship are still the goals. We set a high standard in 2025, and we’re aiming even higher this season. The team’s ready for the fight.”
McLaren streamed the launch live on YouTube, with veteran Fox reporter Jamie Little hosting. Fox has jumped into the spotlight since grabbing the IndyCar broadcast rights for 2025.
Fox’s ties to US President Donald Trump run deep. Recently, Trump announced a special IndyCar street race around Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. He made it official in the Oval Office, with series owner Roger Penske and Fox CEO Eric Shanks sitting in.
“IndyCar racing is a source of pride and entertainment for our nation, which is why I am pleased to announce the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.,” President Trump said in the executive order.
“This race, the first of its kind in our nation’s capital near the National Mall, will show off the majesty of our great city as drivers race past our iconic monuments to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.”
The new IndyCar season kicks off March 1 in St. Petersburg. If the buzz is anything to go by, 2026 could draw more fans to the championship than we’ve seen in years.
WHAT WILL MAX VERSTAPPEN BE DOING IN 30 YEARS? HIS HONEST ANSWER
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen explains his simple approach to fame, his focus on family, and why he avoids the celebrity scene.
Max Verstappen has a simple way of staying grounded, even as Formula 1 sweeps him into the spotlight. He doesn’t feel any urge to change just because he’s more famous now. His focus stays locked on racing.
“I just try to be myself, honestly. I don’t need to meet celebrities or act any differently. I know what I have to do—perform on track. If I don’t, I’m out. It really is that straightforward,” he told TAG Heuer.
He leans on his close friends and family. They keep him steady, no matter what’s happening in F1. “My friends and my family are the most important to me,” he says. Sure, Formula 1 brings all sorts of big names and celebrities into his world, but that’s never why he’s there. “I just roll with it. I do my job, and then I go home. I try to keep life simple, nothing wild. Outside F1, I just want to live like anyone else.”
He doesn’t pretend to have everything figured out. “It’s tough to tell yourself you’ve got it all under control, because you never know what’s coming. I’ve been lucky to win a lot already. If more comes, perfect; I’ll take it. If not, that’s fine too.”
That’s just who he is—pretty laid-back. “We’ll just see what happens.”
When someone asked how it would feel in a few decades, when people call him a legend, he just shrugged. “Good question. Twenty or thirty years from now? I have no clue what I’ll be doing. But those four titles, they’re mine. No one can take that away.”
Racing will always matter to him. It’s fun, and being a Dutch driver means a lot. “Even after I stop, I hope there’s new talent coming up in the Netherlands. I want national motorsport to stay alive, for people here to fall in love with racing the way I did.”