Brown: I want both my drivers in the top three

Woking-based McLaren have ended the first half of the 2024 Formula One World Championship on top form. With a streak of ten podium finishes in a row and outscoring leading team Red Bull in the last four rounds, McLaren look like the team to beat after the summer break.

Lando Norris is second in the Drivers' Standings to Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with the gap between the pair at 78 points. Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri is a further 32 points down, P4 in the Championship. However, by virtue of Sergio Perez's poor run of form in the other Red Bull the gap between the two teams in the Constructors' is only 42 points.

Norris and Piastri came to blows at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, a mix-up in strategy forcing McLaren to swap the pair in the closing stages of the race. Piastri won his first ever F1 Grand Prix, while Norris lamented lost points in his developing Title challenge against Verstappen.

With the Championship battle so tight, the CEO of McLaren, Zak Brown wants to see both of his drivers duking it out for wins and podiums for the mutual benefit of them and the team.

When asked on where McLaren's priorities lie, Brown told Sky Sports F1: "They are both [drivers' and constructors'] priorities because, ultimately, to win the constructors', we need our two drivers to be as high up as possible. I'd like to see both drivers in the top three.

“We've got second and fourth right now. And the closer we get to the drivers', the closer that'll get us to the constructors', so we're going for both because all points count," stated Brown.

The McLaren CEO suggested that they would be aiming to win both Championships into the second half of the season: “I guess the next big occasion for us would be trying to go for the championship. It's certainly a nice feeling. The drivers, the team and everyone has done a wonderful job to get 10 podiums in a row. It is pretty awesome.

"To be competing for the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championship is a pretty cool place to be coming into the summer break. So there's a lot of work you have to do, it's not going to be easy. It's going to be an exciting second part of the year, but I'm very happy with everything that's been accomplished here at McLaren," concluded Brown.

The Dutch Grand Prix commences Sunday 25 August at 14:00 BST (15:00 local time).