McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has pumped the brakes on championship hype for 2025, cautioning against labeling any team as the clear favorite after one of the most fiercely competitive seasons in recent Formula 1 history. Despite McLaren’s stunning Constructors’ Championship victory in 2024, edging out Ferrari by just 14 points, Brown insists arrogance has no place in the team’s mindset as they prepare for next season.
“The Competitive Landscape”
Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship in 2024, but McLaren’s resurgence saw the team topple perennial giants like Red Bull and Mercedes in the Constructors’ standings. With four teams—McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes—scoring multiple wins throughout the season, Brown believes it’s impossible to pinpoint a clear favorite for 2025.
“I think favorites would be arrogant,” Brown said. “I see no reason why we can’t be one of the favorites. But with four teams winning races regularly, how can you single anyone out?”
Brown emphasized that the fierce competition from rival teams demands an elevated mindset. Yet, for the first time, he is fully onboard with McLaren’s ambitions to win both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships next season.
“To Pete Prodromou’s credit, he believed we could win the championship this year. I wasn’t there. I’m there now. That’s the mindset we’re taking into 2025, but I know at least three other teams, maybe more, will have that same mindset.”
“Drivers Ready for Championship Glory”
Brown praised McLaren’s dynamic driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, both of whom secured their maiden race wins in 2024. Norris claimed four victories en route to second in the Drivers’ Championship, while Piastri, in only his second season, captured two wins and finished an impressive fourth.
“Every weekend, you see Formula 1’s best driver pairing—Lando and Oscar—put in the work,” Brown said. “Six grand prix wins, 21 podiums, and eight pole positions this year show they have what it takes to compete at the highest level.”
Norris’s runner-up finish was the best for a McLaren driver since Jenson Button in 2011, while Piastri’s fourth-place finish marked the team’s best for a second driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2012. Both drivers contributed to McLaren’s 14 consecutive podium streak, the second-longest in the team’s storied history.
“On and off the track, both made huge strides this year,” Brown said. “They’ve proven they can challenge for the championship.”
“The Road to 2025”
McLaren enters 2025 with momentum, but Brown’s grounded optimism reflects the heightened competitiveness of modern Formula 1. The team is determined to capitalize on its 2024 success but remains wary of the threat posed by Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, and potentially a surprise contender.
Brown’s humility paired with ambition underscores McLaren’s strategy: respect the competition, refine the MCL38’s successor, and aim to write another chapter in the team’s legacy of triumphs.
