Zak Brown tempers expectations, dismissing favoritism, yet confidently declares McLaren’s ambition to secure both championships in 2025.
McLaren F1 cannot be confident it will be the favorite team next year, but CEO Zak Brown believes it will be among the contenders. A distinction he explains, justified by strong competition.
“Thinking of ourselves as favorites would be arrogant,” said Brown. “I don’t see why we couldn’t be one of the favorites. There are four teams regularly winning races, so I don’t see how anyone can be labeled the favorite for next year.”
“Credit to Peter Prodromou—he came into this year believing we could win the world championship. I didn’t believe it. Now, I think next year we’re going to aim to win the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.”
“That’s the mindset of everyone, but I know there are at least three other teams, and perhaps a surprise, but at least three others with the same mindset, and I think they have as much of a chance as anyone else.”
The American takes pride in his driver pairing, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: “Every race weekend, you saw the best driver pairing in Formula 1, Lando and Oscar, take the wheel of the MCL38 and work for this team.”
“More often than not, they were at the front this year, with six Grand Prix wins, 21 podiums, and eight pole positions, including a streak of 14 consecutive podiums, the second-longest in our history.”
“Our drivers did us proud. Lando pushed Max to the limit in the drivers’ championship and became the first driver to finish second for us since Jenson [Button] in 2011.”
“And in only his second season, Oscar became the first McLaren driver to finish fourth for us since Lewis [Hamilton] in 2012. Both on and off the track, they’ve made tremendous progress this year, showing they have what it takes to fight for the championship.”
Brown praised Norris for learning how to compete against Max Verstappen: “Lando has learned how to race Max. Max is very clear in how he drives—try to go around the outside, and he won’t let you. I think Lando fought well in Mexico and avoided the crash.”
He’s also pleased that Norris didn’t take an approach similar to Hamilton’s in 2021 against Verstappen: “I know Lewis eventually thought, ‘Well, this could end in tears for both of us.'”
“We can’t afford that lesson. I think Lando did the right thing. I think he knows where and how to race Max, and I believe he’ll approach it differently next year.”
Brown Dismisses McLaren as Favorites but Targets Glory Brown Dismisses McLaren as Favorites but Targets Glory
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