McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has unveiled the “pretty scary” state of affairs he encountered upon joining the F1 team in late 2016, revealing a financial and performance crisis.
When Zak Brown took over as executive director at McLaren in November 2016, and later as CEO in April 2018, he walked into a team grappling with both technical and financial woes. McLaren, a once-dominant force in Formula 1, was languishing at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, largely due to their troubled partnership with Honda. The years 2015 and 2017 saw McLaren finish ninth in the standings, and the team was hemorrhaging money with only three sponsors on board.
Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, renowned drivers with three World Championships and 47 grand prix victories between them, were openly frustrated with the situation. Alonso famously labeled Honda’s power unit as a “GP2 engine” during the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix, highlighting the disparity between the team’s aspirations and its reality. Brown admitted to the BBC, “It was worse than I thought it was. We were ninth in the championship. We had blank race cars, I think three sponsors. We had upset fans, upset racing drivers and we had a pretty down and out racing team. It was pretty scary. The team needed resources – because we were losing a ton of money – to be able to invest in drivers and technology and people.”
Despite switching to Renault engines in an attempt to turn their fortunes around, McLaren’s performance remained lackluster. This period saw Alonso take a sabbatical from F1 at the end of 2018, a move that underscored the team’s struggles. Alonso later returned to F1, securing nine podium finishes since 2021 with Alpine and Aston Martin, though he has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.
Fast forward to 2024, and McLaren has staged a remarkable recovery. The team is now within striking distance of a World Championship title, trailing Red Bull by just 42 points with ten races remaining. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both clinched their first victories, in Miami and Hungary respectively, signaling a resurgence for the Woking-based team.
Brown reflected on McLaren’s journey and the missed opportunities with Alonso, saying, “It’s disappointing that we didn’t have a better car when he was racing with us. It’s awesome to watch him race, he’s very smart. And to see him still performing at the level he is performing the older he is, he’s great and he’s a great friend.” Brown’s tenure at McLaren has undoubtedly been transformative, turning a struggling team into serious contenders once again.
Zak Brown’s strategic leadership has brought McLaren back from the brink, transforming it into a competitive force in Formula 1. As the 2024 season progresses, the team’s resurgence is a testament to their resilience and determination.
