Zak Brown: Adrian Newey Unfinished with F1

Adrian Newey remains committed to F1, yet his move to McLaren remains uncertain as discussions continue.

Zak Brown appears to have spoken with Adrian Newey about bringing him to McLaren F1. And while nothing has been finalized in that regard, discussions seem to have indeed taken place, as the McLaren CEO is certain that the engineer will remain in Formula 1, even though the Woking team may not necessarily have a spot for him in its organizational chart.

“We are very happy with what we have,” Brown stated on the Beyond the Grid podcast. “It’s clear he is the most successful designer of all time and a good friend—we race cars together, we’re going to do the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, but I am very happy with the team we have.”

“It’s fascinating that he has left and we will see what he’s going to do. He has been doing this for a long time. I know Eddie Jordan is working with him and taking care of him, and he said not to expect him to jump into something new tomorrow.”

“I take it at face value. I think Adrian is going to enjoy the history of Monaco next week and take some time to think about what he wants to do. I think he will continue in F1. He loves this sport. I think he’s not done with F1.”

“He’s doing the Red Bull road car, he obviously did the Valkyrie, he told me he’d like to win Le Mans, he has been in IndyCar—that’s where his relationship with Bobby Rahal came from, when he was running Jaguar—so I think he likes IndyCar. What I can say for sure is that he’s not done with motorsport. Who knows where he’ll show up?”

“Never say never” for Newey

The American denies that Newey could play a role at McLaren outside F1: “You should never say never, but it’s not a conversation I’ve had with him. We are currently racing in GT3, which does not fall within the scope of our automotive activity.”

“And as it is a race car based on the production of a road car, I think there really wouldn’t be a need. Of course, he would add value, but it’s not the same as what he’s used to, which is pulling out his pen and designing a race car.”

Brown acknowledges that committing to the top of the WEC would be an appealing idea for McLaren: “I would love to be involved in an LMP1 or LMDh program. We are the only team to have won the Triple Crown.”

“I would like McLaren to participate in Formula 1, IndyCar, and the World Endurance Championship at the highest level. It’s a good thing that we are now in GT3 with our automotive activity, but reaching the pinnacle would be the ultimate.”