Two very fast drivers a double-edged sword for McLaren

Be careful what you wish for — that is always very sound advice. McLaren wanted the best car, and two very fast drivers to do it justice. And now they have that.

- David Tremayne

But when you finally bring together all the disparate factors that lead to domination, it comes with a price. Few blessings come without strings attached.

The most challenging may just be how you manage the understandable desire of each driver to grab the opportunity with both Nomex-gloved hands and maximize their own chance of becoming world champion.

Of course, it's a nice position for McLaren to find themselves in. But potentially, as chief Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella appreciate only too well, it can be a double-edged sword.

Four races into the 24-event calendar, McLaren have won three, two with Oscar Piastri, one with Lando Norris. Max Verstappen was an unexpected interloper in Japan, but after Piastri's perfect demonstration of the art of grand prix driving in Bahrain on April 13 — the first time the famed team have delivered on their owners' home ground — some questioned whether it marked the start of the real battle between the two drivers. And whether this is how we can expect it to stay for the rest of the season.