Few team bosses are as passionate about success as Zak Brown is. He steered McLaren away from treacherous waters and towards glory — something which may not have happened had Brown not sacrificed a top job for a stint at the Woking-based outfit.
Brown had a very strong reputation in the paddock in 2016 before he made his way into the sport. His company Just Marketing International, which had become the world’s largest motorsport marketing, proved itself capable of helping teams land sponsors.
McLaren, a team in financial disarray, was in dire need of cash injection. They, like others, were eyeing Brown for a leadership role to pull themselves out of the mess and restore stability, both on and off the track.
The American boss came to the rescue, declining an offer to work for F1 instead.
“When I joined McLaren, I had a fantastic opportunity to go to Formula 1,” he said on the Ti Podcast. “Not another team but the Formula 1 sanctioning body, which was very flattering.”
However, two things prevented him from taking that up. Firstly, he always wanted to be closer to racing action. Secondly, he adored McLaren.
Zak Brown about McLaren’s past struggles:
“When I entered it was our worst year, morale was terrible, sponsors were gone, results were gone, fans were pissed off, it was bad.
They needed a good leader, like any racing, or sports team, it’s all culture.
I tried to get… pic.twitter.com/tipLkT70D9
— McLaren News | (@McLarenF1_News) September 11, 2024
“I wanna be in the race when the lights go out. And I want to be on the pit wall, and I want to be on the competitive side. McLaren has always been my favorite”, he added.
Thankfully for the papaya squad, Brown managed to take them out of the hole. He got in a plethora of sponsors, made some crucial board-room decisions, and even guided them to their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998 last year.
How Brown orchestrated McLaren’s revival
One of the biggest names in F1 history, McLaren endured a very difficult time in the mid-2010s. At one point, the team found itself almost completely devoid of sponsors, with a failed Honda engine deal limiting their performance on the track, and the company going close to administration.
Brown’s smart moves, however, prevented complete collapse. In 2020, when the COVID pandemic was wreaking havoc on the lives of people and the finances of F1 teams, Brown decided to sell their state-of-the-art HQ for $237 million, only to lease it thereafter.
It saved a lot of people from losing their jobs, showing that Brown was not someone who just cared about business decisions, but also about the welfare of those working tirelessly to make the team successful.
Brown also signed top drivers like Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri, and engineers like Andrea Stella to drive the team forward. And it all worked out in his favor, with McLaren ending their championship drought last year.
