Zak Brown reveals key factor that ‘drove him nuts’ in F1
With McLaren recently resurging in the F1 ladder, Zak Brown revealed the team's changed mentality since he joined the outfit.
Follow Us
Zak Brown, image via IMAGO
McLaren became the 2024 constructors’ champions after dethroning Red Bull from their crown. However, the English team’s fortunes were not always great as they were a back marker in the past decade. This changed the team’s mindset and began discounting out themselves from the top, which infuriated McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
Zak Brown took hold of McLaren‘s F1 project in 2016 and had to manage a team with scarred resources. The team’s heritage outshined its on track performance. All while, the trio of Mercedes–Ferrari–Red Bull dominated the sport and bagged in all the wins from 2014-2019.
This made the team go from a championship winning mindset in 2012 to scouring for points in 2016. Inadvertently, this had an affect on team personnel, who started to count themselves out from the top teams.
This was not taken in a good faith by Zak Brown. He slammed personnel for regarding themselves out and asserted how McLaren was a part of the top four teams.
When I started at McLaren, I remember one of the things that used to drive me nuts was the team would say, ‘Yeah, the big three,’ ‘the top three,’ and ‘the big three.’ We weren’t part of that conversation. I was like, ‘We’re McLaren, we’re not in a good place right now but, no, it’s the big four. We’re one of them. We’re just underperforming.
Zak Brown told (via Sky F1)
On the bright side, McLaren has truly made the F1 scene a big four debacle. Team’s star driver Lando Norris was in the contention for the drivers’ championship for the majority of the season. Moreover, this trend has led experts and journalists to predict the Briton to win his maiden title in 2025.
Zak Brown reveals the all in approach for McLaren in 2025
After bringing the constructors’ title back to Woking, McLaren would be ecstatic to one-up themselves next year. This year they marginally won the title by beating out Ferrari. The English team would like to avoid such near-disaster situations and win out the championship comfortably.
This has led the team to go all-in and take a brave risk by making major changes to its car concept.
We’re going into next year at full strength. I think we’re in a different mindset now in terms of the confidence of the team and the amount of bravery that the team is prepared to take in the development in next year’s car. The team is not: ‘let’s just tweak a little here and there. The car is pretty good.’ We’ve got some stuff on next year’s car that is like ‘brave risk’.
Zak Brown said (via Autosport)
However, McLaren might get ahead of themselves by taking such bold risks. The English manufacturer took a similar risk in 2013 and was battered by its rivals after having one of the fastest cars the year before.
So, McLaren should take a calculated risk for maintaining their reign over the F1 title. All while, Red Bull and Ferrari would be aiming to spoil their party and take home the elusive trophy themselves.
Stay Updated!
Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)