Zak Brown admits McLaren’s title challenge was unexpected, crediting a significant closing of the gap to Red Bull.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren F1, concedes that the possibility of his team contending for the Constructors’ Championship title had not been on his radar. He acknowledges that the gap to Red Bull has narrowed to the extent of a one-two finish.
Sitting down with BBC Sport, Brown expressed his astonishment: “If I were to sit here and say I’m not surprised, it wouldn’t be truthful. Red Bull had such an advantage over everyone, and Mercedes has been so dominant. I felt we were closing the gap.”
“Did I think we’d be here at the summer break, just one race away from leading? That would be a race where we finish first and second with the fastest lap. And do I think that’s how it’s going to play out? No.”
“But if we maintain the same trajectory as the last six or seven races, we’ll be where we need to be by the end of the year. I thought we might get to this point by 2025. I didn’t expect it to be in 2024. But I’m not complaining.”
Having trailed Red Bull by as much as 115 points, McLaren has gradually made up ground, including two notable victories. Brown believes the performance of the second Red Bull car will be crucial: “It will be tough. I think it will come down to the last race. The gap between the cars is not large.”
“It will hinge on Sergio Pérez’s performance. If he performs as he’s capable of, it will be a fierce battle. If he continues as he has this year, we stand a good chance, because we have two drivers consistently at the front.”
McLaren “should have” achieved a one-two at Silverstone.
The American acknowledges a series of errors by his team but remains unfazed: “We’ve all made mistakes, which are, to me, learning experiences.”
“I think Toto [Wolff], the team principal at Mercedes, was right in his comment. He said ‘sometimes, you understand these things once they’ve been laid out on your table.’ If I look at the mistakes we’ve made, whether by the drivers or us, it doesn’t matter.”
“We are one team—we wouldn’t repeat these errors. We learn. And I think the fact that we’ve arrived where we are faster than we thought shows we still have things to learn.”
Brown admits the British Grand Prix is a significant regret: “We probably should have finished first and second at Silverstone. And yes, Lando is trying to fight for a world championship. He’s going for it. He’s learning, just like us. So, it doesn’t worry me.”
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Brown Eyes Title as McLaren Narrows Gap with Red Bull Brown Eyes Title as McLaren Narrows Gap with Red Bull
