What Is “Tire Water” That Zak Brown Drank During Miami GP FP1?

With McLaren’s MCL39 being the class of the field this season, the majority of the spotlight is naturally on them. And as they were prepping up for the Miami GP during FP1 on Friday, fans noticed McLaren CEO Zak Brown drinking water from a bottle that had been labeled ‘Tire Water’. 

With these images going viral on social media, several fans wondered, what is ‘tire water’? “Can’t be only one here that doesn’t understand the reference,” one wrote.

There is nothing special about this water, but it is a veiled dig at Red Bull, who had accused McLaren of adding water to their tires to cool them down. Since McLaren have been exceptionally strong since last year when it comes to low tire wear, with their tires not overheating as much as other teams, Red Bull suspects they have been using underhanded tactics.

Brown, too, admitted in his interview with Sky Sports F1 during the practice session that he aimed to take a dig at one of the teams but did not reveal which one. Since only Red Bull accused them of the same last year in Brazil, it is clear that the dig was aimed at the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Per the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the FIA investigated the same after Red Bull made this shocking allegation. However, the motorsport governing body found no wrongdoing on McLaren’s part.

Red Bull most likely made this accusation to unnerve McLaren, who emerged as their biggest rivals last year for both championships. While Max Verstappen managed to retain the Drivers’ title, the Bulls were unable to retain the Constructors’ Championship, which McLaren won for the first time since 1998.

The Woking-based outfit have carried over their form from last season and are leading both championships. Oscar Piastri currently leads the Drivers’ standings by 10 points from teammate Lando Norris, while McLaren leads the Constructors’ standings by a whopping 77 points from second-placed Mercedes.

With McLaren performing so well, Brown perhaps does not need to stress too much about his team and has the luxury to aim digs at his rivals. Fans certainly loved the same.

One user posted on X, “As much as I don’t like him, fair play. Very funny, 1-0 Brown”. Meanwhile, another wrote, “Genuinely, man is the biggest troll on the grid and I don’t think it’s even close”.

With the Miami GP weekend set to experience hot weather with temperatures predicted to reach highs of 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, tire degradation could be a crucial factor. McLaren would benefit from such conditions as their car has been running well in the heat besides having pristine tire wear.

The only curveball they may face is that Pirelli has gone a step softer for the tire compounds—bringing the C3 (hard), C4 (medium), and the C5 (soft)—relative to last year’s Grand Prix. So, with that in mind, other teams could fancy a chance of outsmarting McLaren on tire strategy, if the MCL39 faces any hiccup on the softer compounds.