JA on F1 Podcast: How Brown turned McLaren into a title-winning outfit
For the latest JA on F1 podcast, we held an exclusive interview with McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose squad recently won its first F1 constructors’ title for 26 years
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing
Photo by: Andreas Beil
When Zak Brown joined McLaren as its CEO in 2018, it was a completely different operation to it is now having won the 2024 Formula 1 constructors’ championship.
It was McLaren’s first teams’ crown since 1998 and came after several management and structural changes from the moment Brown first walked through the door.
The American has developed into a strong leader and on the podcast, he shares some of his management techniques and delves into how he used to run a sports marketing business.
But an F1 team has many more departments, all of which must be high-performing, meaning Brown has had huge pressure on his shoulders ever since joining McLaren.
So how did he finally get McLaren in shape to win the championship? While the British outfit claimed the 2024 constructors’ crown, its star man Lando Norris missed out on the drivers’ title to Max Verstappen, so does Brown still regret not being more ruthless at certain races in 2024?
Brown also talked about why he feels the FIA must make serious changes to how F1 is governed and if he makes McLaren the favourite to reclaim its title.
In the studio with James is Autosport’s editor-in-chief Rebecca Clancy, as well as chief motorsport writer Ben Hunt.
Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
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