Zak Brown: McLaren’s winning mastermind

F1: Beyond The Grid

karenellenbevan

Leisure, Sports, Technology, Automotive

4.8 • 5.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2024

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

McLaren are back on top of the Formula 1 podium, but their mission is far from accomplished yet.

Since taking charge in 2018, CEO Zak Brown has overseen a huge transformation on and off the track and the team’s progress has accelerated astronomically over the last 12 months.

Lando Norris’s long-awaited maiden Grand Prix victory in Miami is the culmination of an enormous amount of hard work to turn their fortunes around after an awful start last season left them right at the back of the grid.

So how do they take the next steps to become serial winners and World Championship contenders?

Speaking in Miami, Zak tells Tom Clarkson how he’s instilling a winning mentality at McLaren, what Norris’s victory means for his and the team’s future, why he thinks Oscar Piastri is a match for Lando, whether he’d like his close friend Adrian Newey to join the team, and much more.

Related Episodes

Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
Andrea Stella

For more in-depth reaction to Lando Norris’s first Grand Prix victory, listen to the latest episode of F1 Nation from the Miami Grand Prix paddock

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Lando Norris wins for the first time in Formula One. It's victory in Miami for Norris and McLaren
0:11.4	and at the 110th attempt he's done it he's won it and look what it means to
0:18.3	Zack Brown
0:21.3	McLaren have massive momentum.
0:23.6	After Lando Norris' victory in Miami, how close are they to becoming a championship winning team again?
0:30.3	It wasn't like we went from being okay to really good. It was a mess to really good.
0:35.0	You know, it's pretty easy to lose the locker room if you'd like when you start the season that poorly,
0:40.0	whether that's the board or fans or sponsors or the racing team itself.
0:46.0	The vision of course is to be competing for the world championship, but I feel like we have everything in place.
0:52.0	I don't think we're very far away. With brand new race winner Lando Norris and Oscopiastry in the cockpit,
0:58.8	CEO Zach Brown has what he believes is the strongest driver lineup in Formula One.
1:04.3	In fact, he's so confident in the team's trajectory that he feels no need to tempt his
1:09.6	close friend Adrian Newy back into the McLaren fold.
1:13.2	We're very happy with what we have.
1:14.7	I mean, he's obviously the most successful designer of all time and as you mentioned, a good friend
1:19.7	we go race cars together.
1:21.2	But yeah, you know, I'm very happy with the team that we have and you
1:24.4	know it's fascinating that he's left I think he'll continue an F1 I mean he loves the
1:28.7	sport so what I can comfortably say is he's not done with motorsports. Where he pops up, who knows.
1:35.0	Hello and welcome to F1 Beyond the Grid with me Tom Clarkson.
1:47.7	Since becoming CEO of McLaren Racing in 2018 Zach Brown has overseen an enormous transformation both on and off the track, capped by Lando Norris' victory in Miami.
1:55.9	I recorded my chat with Zach before the race, you'll hear that in a second, but I just had to
	...

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