The American has backtracked on his statement from last month, when he said he would have preferred a repeat of what happened in 2007 — when Alonso and Hamilton lost the championship to Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari — rather than favoring one of the two drivers.

“We’re realistic, we want to win this Drivers’ Championship,” he said during FIA press conference in Abu Dhabi. “We’re coming into the weekend knowing that they both have equal opportunity, even though there’s obviously a point spread.

Brown stressed that any team orders would be used only if one of the two drivers is clearly out of contention for the title.

“You don’t know how qualifying is going to go, reliability, but if we get into the race and it’s becoming pretty clear that one has a chance and the other doesn’t, we’re going to do what we can to win the Drivers’ Championship. It would be crazy not to.”

Finally, when asked whether he expects Piastri to step aside if instructed to do so, Brown added: “Yes. Our drivers have always complied with team wishes, just as we comply with their wishes. So 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.”

The championship leader, just like in the morning, ended the second practice session on top, edging out his main title rival by 0.363 seconds and sending a clear message ahead of the championship showdown.

The Brit looked very comfortable in his MCL39 on a track he has always favored and performed well on, unlike his teammate, who struggled to put together a strong lap and finished outside the top ten.