While F1 teams and drivers are on a summer break, not everyone is choosing to stay away from the racing action. McLaren CEO, Zak Brown recently participated in the Monterey Pre-Reunion and got a podium in a Jaguar.
Brown shared about his participation on Twitter (now X) and how he got behind the wheel of both a non-F1 and an F1 car during the event. The 52-year-old wrote, “Great day on track racing at the Monterey PreReunion. Finished P3 in the Jaguar XJR-9 and P4 in the Williams FW07B.”
Great day on track racing at the Monterey PreReunion. Finished P3 in the Jaguar XJR-9 and P4 in the Williams FW07B
Mega work team @UnitedAutosport … same again next week pic.twitter.com/JeFs9lQQc2
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) August 12, 2024
The race was part of an annual event which is held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. The Monterey Pre-Reunion and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion are two interconnected events that form a crucial part of the Monterey Car Week.
The Monterey Pre-Reunion is a preparatory event before the main Reunion. This provides participants with some much-needed track time to acclimatize to the challenging Laguna Seca circuit and teams to fine-tune their historic racing machines.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion takes place the following weekend and is structured around various race groups, each representing a specific era or category of motorsport — from pre-war Grand Prix cars to thundering Can-Am monsters, old F1 machines to muscular Trans-Am pony cars. But, there is much more to the Monterey Car Week than just racing these historic machines.
The RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction is just around the corner
The RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction is also taking place from August 14 to 17 at the Monterey Conference Center and will feature three iconic cars from F1 history.
The first is the 1992 Williams FW14B designed by Adrian Newey. The FW14B was driven by Nigel Mansell during his dominant championship-winning 1992 season. Newey’s innovative design, particularly the active suspension system, allowed the car to have superior handling and stability, making it nearly unbeatable on the track.
These two just belong together
Big Nige ⭐️ and the Williams FW14B#Goodwood #Red5 pic.twitter.com/35NsD3FctR
— EifelRonaldo (@eifelronaldo) June 6, 2024
Another Newey-designed car to go up for auction is the MP4-21. This car was pivotal in McLaren’s 2006 season and was driven by Juan Pablo Montoya in its early races. The MP4-21 is also significant for being one of the first F1 cars that Lewis Hamilton tested.
The third F1 car at the auction is the Ferrari F2001B which was driven by Michael Schumacher during the 2002 season. This car helped Schumacher win his record-equalling fifth championship and equal the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio’s tally.
