Both drivers get on well now, and Brown believes they will priorities their own racing and helping McLaren to develop, the team’s aim for the season.
“I think they’re going to work well together to drive the team forward and, while we all know teammates want to beat each other, they want to beat everyone else, so I don’t think either of them are going to be too excited about beating their teammate if they’re 8th and 9th,” Brown told Marshall Pruett. “I think they’re primary focus is about getting to the front of the field and then worrying about each other.”
He doesn’t expect McLaren to be racing at the front of the field until 2018 at the earliest and, for now, thinks the drivers will focus on pushing one another, and the team, forward.
After that, once the team are at the front, could be a different matter though.
“I don’t think [the healthy relationship] will change but, as we all know in motor racing, most of the teammates get to each other. I’m looking forward to the competition between them and I’m looking forward to managing through some inter-team rivalries which, no doubt, we’ll have, which is going to keep things healthy.”
Trying to manage inter-team battles is something Brown’s predecessor, Ron Dennis, had plenty of experience with and something Brown will be hoping he is a little more successful at if Alonso’s next battle with a rookie teammate is as difficult as his last.
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Do you think Stoffel vs Alonso could be one of the great teammate rivalries? And if so do you think Brown will be able to manage it? Let us know in the comments below!
