Surprised That McLaren Is Leading Formula 1? So Is Its Boss, Zak Brown.

Zak Brown, the chief executive of McLaren Racing, said that in 2020 its Formula 1 team was close to going out of business. Four years later, it can win its first constructors’ title in 26 years.

McLaren is in form. It has a 41-point lead over Red Bull, which had continuously led the constructors’ championship since the 2022 race in Spain, a run of 55 Grands Prix, until it was deposed by McLaren at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September.

In an interview in October, Brown said it “would be a dream” for McLaren to win the constructors’ championship. “I think it would be a fan favorite.

“I think, not just our fans, but Formula 1 fans in general, are big Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fans,” he said, referring to his team’s drivers. “I think it’ll be a very liked outcome by the outer world.”

Andrea Stella, the team principal, said in September that “the drivers’ championship is on, the mission is on.”

He continued: “Hopefully, we’ll have a few more wins in the next six races.”

Brown has transformed the team since he took over in 2018, including by bringing on Stella at the end of 2022. Before that, Brown was executive director of the McLaren Technology Group. When he joined the racing team, what he discovered surprised him.

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