SAO PAULO :McLaren would rather miss out on the Formula One world championship by a point than favour one of their drivers against Red Bull's Max Verstappen, according to the team's chief executive Zak Brown.

McLaren's Lando Norris leads Australian teammate Oscar Piastri by a point in the standings with four rounds, including Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix and sprint, remaining.

Verstappen, chasing his fifth title in a row, is 36 points off the pace and closing in after slashing the gap from 104 at the end of August while McLaren's pair have taken points off each other.

The Dutch driver's return to contention has reminded some of the 2007 season won by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who finished strongly and ended up beating McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point.

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