ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — CEO Zak Brown says McLaren could use team orders to manage the Formula 1 title fight if one of its drivers has a “significantly better chance” to win in Sunday's decisive Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
McLaren's Lando Norris leads the standings by 12 points from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri four points further back.
That's prompted speculation that Piastri could be asked to move over for Norris, sacrificing his own slight championship chance, if it appears that Verstappen is heading for a race win.
“In the sense of team orders, as long as both drivers have a chance to win the world championship, which they clearly do sitting here right now, then it’s business as usual. They’re free to race. Obviously, we’ll be practical and realistic,” Brown said Friday.
“If, as the weekend develops, as the race develops, it becomes clear that one has a significantly better chance than the other, then we’re a team that wants to win the drivers’ championship and we will race accordingly, to do whatever we can to get that driver in front to try and win the race.”
Brown didn't say what sort of chance would qualify as “significantly better,” but indicated that orders would only come into play if “it becomes clear that both (Norris and Piastri) can’t” win.
The two McLaren drivers denied Thursday that there had been any discussions about team orders. Norris said he “would love” his teammate to help him out, and that he believed he would aid Piastri if the roles were reversed, but added that he didn't want to make that request.
Asked if he believed Piastri would comply with an order to help out Norris, Brown said: “Yes. Our drivers have always complied with team wishes, just as we comply with their wishes." He added: "I’ve got no doubt either of our drivers will continue to race as they’ve done brilliantly, in the best interest of the team.”
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia gets ready for the the second practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain talks to his crew during the the second practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
McLaren chief Zak Brown listens to radio during a first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
OPELOUSAS, Louisiana (AP) — Two inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a southwestern Louisiana jail Wednesday by removing pieces of a degrading wall and using sheets to scale a wall, officials said. A third inmate who joined in the breakout killed himself after he was tracked down.
It was the latest bold jail escape in Louisiana. Earlier this year 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail after crawling through a hole behind a toilet. It wasn't until five months later — following the discovery of the escape crime scene with a message that read “To Easy LoL," finger-pointing by officials as to who was to blame for the audacious escape and a search that spanned multiple states — that all 10 inmates were recaptured.
Wednesday morning's escape, which took place at the St. Landry Parish Jail, involved three inmates. Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz, who oversees the jail in Opelousas, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans, said the "inmates discovered a degrading part of an upper wall area and over time, removed the mortar allowing them to remove concrete blocks and provide their exit.”
The inmates then used “sheets and other items” to scale the outer wall and “drop onto” the first floor roof, before “lowering themselves to the ground,” Guidroz said in a press release.
Additional details about the escape were not immediately available. Guidroz said it will be investigated internally.
The sheriff’s office identified the two escaped inmates still on the loose as Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas, who was facing a second-degree attempted murder charge, and Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, of Opelousas, who was facing several charges, including principal to first-degree rape.
The third escapee, Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville, who faced several felony charges, including home invasion, killed himself after he was found, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said by telephone.
After a tipster who recognized Harrington told police on Thursday that he was seen pushing a black e-bike, an officer spotted the e-bike at a nearby home. Police used a loudspeaker to urge Harrington to come out of the home, and they later heard a gunshot. Harrington was found dead inside the home. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
Sheriff’s department spokesperson Maj. Mark LeBlanc wasn’t aware of the building being breached in a similar way in the past, but noted that anyone will try to escape with enough time and opportunity.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he said.
There’s no credible indications that the escapees have left the parish, so LeBlanc warned residents to secure their homes and vehicles.
“They’re charged with violent felonies and we know they’re desperate to get away,” he said.
Anyone who helps the escapees will be prosecuted, he said.
This photo provided by St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office shows Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, of Opelousas, one of three inmates who escaped from a southwestern Louisiana jail, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)
This photo provided by St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office shows Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas, one of three inmates who escaped from a southwestern Louisiana jail, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)
This photo provided by St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office shows Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville, one of three inmates who escaped from a southwestern Louisiana jail, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)
