The two drivers are separated by just nine points in the championship as F1 pauses for its annual summer break but Brown is confident that the relationship between the pair will remain healthy as both chase a first world title.

Brown said: "I don't think they'll properly fall out because of the communication, trust and respect we all have, and they have for each other.

"We're very fortunate to have the two personalities that we have. We love the challenge. I'm looking forward to them racing each other."

The pair did collide at June's Canadian Grand Prix when Norris ran into the back of Piastri but Brown expects the battle to remain "fair" once the second half of the campaign begins.

The McLaren chief said: "I've said to both of them individually, at windows of opportunity, has your team-mate ever done anything to annoy you? 'Never.' And that's what they both said.

"So there's competitiveness brewing. We're not feeling any tension. As the championship builds I'm sure that tension will grow, but like Montreal - I'm glad we got it out of the way, because it was a non-event, Lando owned it, Oscar understood, it was a mistake."

Brown explained that the team will deal with any tension that develops between the drivers in the same way that they have managed the pair's relationship to date.

He said: "If something bubbles up, we'll deal with it. And how we operate, which is [in] an open, transparent, deal with it right away [manner].

"It seems like from the outside looking in, when you've seen battles between other team-mates, you've kind of seen it brewing, and you kind of go like, 'Have they jumped on that, or are they just kind of letting it build up?'

"We'll take the air out of the balloon right away, if we feel like anything's bubbling up, but we've not seen any of it."