Zak Brown on the Hidden Challenges of F1 Strategy

F1 strategy goes far beyond what viewers see on-screen, with intricate decisions driving outcomes in ways rarely understood.

Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, spoke about the advice he received from Adrian Newey, who is set to join Aston Martin, to help McLaren accelerate its progress in Formula 1.

McLaren F1 is locked in the battle for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, aiming to end the ongoing streak of titles by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, with the team and driver each pursuing their fourth and third consecutive titles, respectively.

McLaren has occasionally faced criticism for its reluctance to fully back Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri in the race for the drivers’ championship. The team has since made the decision to put all its eggs in Norris’ basket, but has that decision come too late?

“It’s really easy to grab a beer, sit on the couch, turn on the TV, and run a Formula 1 team—hundreds of millions of people do it every weekend,” Brown responded.

“There’s so much more behind the scenes that drives decisions. Sometimes we still make mistakes; we never sit there and say there’s nothing we could have done better this season. But it’s never as simple as some like to believe.”

When it comes to not dwelling on poor past decisions, Brown revealed he recently received advice from Newey.

“I was talking to Adrian. He has a great ability to say, ‘Monday is a new day.’”

“I can’t change the past… we learn from it, apply it moving forward, but dwelling on what could or should have been done is just wasted energy.”

“We’ve left a few points on the table here and there… we could have done things differently. But that changes nothing. It’s done, it’s over, we have to move forward.”