Oscar Piastri came just 13 points shy of being crowned Formula 1 World Champion in 2025, after a thrilling season-long battle with his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. The Australian, who held a 34-point lead following the Dutch Grand Prix, had been poised to fight for the title until the final race, but it was Norris who took the title in Abu Dhabi, finishing two points ahead of Max Verstappen and 13 points ahead of Piastri.

While the result marked a setback for Piastri, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has no doubts about the young Australian's potential. Brown, reflecting on the season, declared his strong belief that Piastri will one day claim the championship with McLaren.

"Oscar is going to be a world champion," Brown said, as quoted by Autosport. "I'm convinced he's going to be a world champion with McLaren."

Brown also took pride in the team's decision to support both Piastri and Norris as equal contenders, bucking the trend of having a clear number one driver, a rarity among top teams like Red Bull. The McLaren CEO emphasized the team's satisfaction with the performance of both drivers, who each claimed seven wins during the season.

"For a big team to take a risk on young drivers feels very rewarding. To be able to have two number one drivers against all odds, all the noise that we've had for so long that it's impossible to do what we did, which is have two awesome racing drivers that won seven races each, that genuinely enjoy racing each other and are a treat to work with. They've never had an odd exchange between them."

Brown noted that while both drivers have had their moments of frustration, it's all part of the competitive dynamic that makes McLaren's driver pairing so special.

"They've both been a little grumpy with Andrea (Stella, team boss) and I from time to time, but I think that's good. We're pushing each other hard and it's just such an accomplishment. I'm very proud and looking forward to doing it again."