Zak Brown has dismissed claims of McLaren bias against Oscar Piastri as “ridiculous” after the debate escalated beyond the paddock and into Australian politics.
McLaren secured a drivers’ and constructors’ title double for the first time since 1998 last season, with Lando Norris becoming the team’s first world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Zak Brown critical of Australian politicians over Oscar Piastri ‘bias’ claims
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Piastri held a 34-point lead following Norris’s retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix last August.
However, that race proved to be Piastri’s final victory of 2025 with the Melbourne-born driver scoring just three podium finishes across the final nine races.
He eventually finished third in the standings, behind Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, as Norris secured a maiden world championship.
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As reported by PlanetF1.com, a perception grew in Australia over the course of 2025 that McLaren was biased against Piastri.
The debate even reached the floors of Parliament with one politician posing the question that “McLaren is biased against Oscar Piastri and costing him the world championship.”
Another agreed with the suggestion, adding that Piastri had “definitely copped some raw decisions.”
Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets on Monday, Brown insisted that McLaren operates with a policy of “total sporting fairness” and dismissed the claims of bias as “very uninformed.”
Asked if he anticipates a hostile reception at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix next month, 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.”
Brown’s comments cut against the grain in Australia, where local fans feel Piastri was hard done by.
It even prompted comedian Dave Hughes to make an expletive-laden rant on social media in response to similar comments made by Brown last year.
“Ooh Zak Brown you need to need the shut the f*** up,” Hughes began.
“‘Australians are uneducated if they think we favoured Norris over Piastri’.
“Are we mate? Here’s one example. What about in Italy? Slow pit stop for Lando, ‘Oscar we need to swap spots because Lando had a slow pit stop, it’s only fair’.
“Is it? No one in the world thought that was f***ing fair mate. Lando got an extra three points that day because of that swap.
“What did he win the world title by? I’ll tell you Zak. Two f***ing points, mate. That’s one example. Six more under this video. Couldn’t find any that went the other way.
“Shut the f*** up, Zak. Enjoy your f***ing victory mate, but shut the f*** up.”
Speaking at the final race of last season in Abu Dhabi, Piastri said it was “quite impressive” to see his name mentioned in Parliament in Australia regardless of the reason behind it.
He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets at the last race of 2025: “I did see it reach Parliament. That’s quite impressive.
“I think the support from back home has been really special. I obviously don’t see a huge amount of it.
“I’ve not being back to Australia since the grand prix [in Melbourne in March 2025], but I think the fact that Formula 1 and my name – regardless of why – was in Parliament in Australia is pretty cool in some ways.
“A pretty cool thing and I guess it signifies the magnitude of the support and the following that we’ve had back home.
“That’s very, very cool to see.”
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