McLaren CEO Zak Brown celebrates his team’s rapid rise to the front of the grid, attributing their success to strong leadership, while citing Red Bull’s cultural issues as a warning of pitfalls to avoid.
Zak Brown has expressed his admiration for the rapid ascent of his team over the past two years. McLaren F1 now stands as the premier team on the grid in terms of performance, a position that its CEO had not anticipated they would achieve so swiftly, expecting only general progress to position them at the forefront.
“We have surpassed our goal,” Brown clarifies. “I believed we would reach where we are today, or thereabouts, but I could never have declared ‘we will be number one by next year.'”
“Why? Because the team has performed splendidly, but the wind tunnel was not operational, and by the time it was, the car was already prepared. Individuals like Rob Marshall had not yet joined the team. Now, we are at full capacity. We are fully empowered.”
“However, we know that the moment we ease off the accelerator, we drop to 95%, so we must maintain the momentum we have. We have an exceptional team, so it’s about ensuring we lose no one and continue to build where we can, making sure we do not slow down.”
Brown acknowledges the impact of the early part of the 2023 season, which saw the team finish as the second most formidable contender on the track. Notably, at Bahrain, the team ranked ninth in performance and failed to score points in two races.
“I am still haunted, and will forever be, by the start of the 2023 season. There are two types of people in this world: those who are driven by the thrill of victory and those who are driven by the fear of defeat. I am motivated by the fear of defeat, which gets me out of bed every day.”
“It’s probably the unhealthiest, yes, the most stressful, and likely explains why I had ulcers a year and a half ago! But I am never relaxed, never comfortable, and I think being uncomfortable is a good thing.”
“It is crucial to manage it, but I do not see myself ever easing off the accelerator, because if you look far enough ahead, you can see the challenges that lie in wait.”
Shielding the Team with Decisive Leadership
The team found itself under the watchful scrutiny of the FIA for its rear wing in Baku, and Brown was determined to shield McLaren and its staff from all the ensuing chatter. He views this protective role as his duty, one he feels is not adequately fulfilled by Christian Horner and Helmut Marko at Red Bull, contributing to their team’s decline.
“Andrea has a fantastic saying: ‘Don’t eat the poisoned cookie.’ Nowadays, everyone is talking about ‘flexible wings, this and that,’ and I have to isolate the team as much as possible from the scrutiny that is coming.”
“I know there will be stirrings, and I need to protect the team, because look at Red Bull in particular, where there is a lot of ‘poison’ and a lot happening, look at what’s unfolding. It’s an incredibly great team that is currently going in the wrong direction because of its culture. Their wind tunnel is no different from what it was a year ago.”
“I think it’s about moral culture. People are leaving, there’s a lot of noise, look at the top, the team director makes a statement, then Helmut Marko makes another. The drivers are unhappy, the drivers’ fathers… but it’s the same factory and with a huge budget. So, what has changed? The culture of the people.”
“We will do everything” to support Norris
The American is also aware that McLaren is closely scrutinized for its handling of race instructions. This decision will fall to Andrea Stella, the director, but Brown is confident that his team, whether the Italian or the drivers, will handle the situation perfectly to achieve the best outcome.
“Ultimately, it will be Andrea who decides. I think relinquishing a race win is quite a tough thing to do. So, circumstances must be considered. We are taking it one race at a time. I think it’s a rather significant request for a Grand Prix driver.”
“I believe Lando wants to win the championship, if possible, in the right way. Therefore, we still have many races ahead. I must consider the circumstances, but I think if Oscar goes out and wins, I am not sure Lando would want to inherit a victory in such a manner anyway.”
“Whatever we can do to assist Lando, we will do so, whether from a strategic perspective or not. We do not wish to compromise Oscar’s results as he is having an outstanding season and has his own battles to fight. However, if there are measures we can take to support Lando, that is exactly what we will do.”
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Zak Brown Hails McLaren’s Swift Ascent to F1’s Summit Zak Brown Hails McLaren’s Swift Ascent to F1’s Summit. f1 2024 Zak Brown Hails McLaren’s Swift Ascent to F1’s Summit
