Despite a late surge in 2023 lifting the mood of McLaren camp, all is not well within the team. A clumsy error by CEO Zak Brown in Silverstone last year landed his team in trouble with one of its premier sponsors, and the wind hasn’t settled yet.
— sominslc (@sominslc1) November 29, 2023
At the British GP in 2022, the cameras spotted Zak Brown with an Audemars Piguet bag in his hands, which contained a Royal Oak Offshore watch worth $30,000. Per BusinessF1 Magazine, the watch was a gift from Brown to someone close to him in exchange for a favor. While the McLaren boss probably had no ill intentions in mind, the gesture rubbed Richard Mille the wrong way, stirring up trouble between the team and one of their sponsors.
Back in 2016, McLaren and Richard Mille signed a 10-year deal, which meant the luxury watchmakers would be one of McLaren’s premiere sponsors until 2026. At the time, the deal signified the union of two brands committed to precise engineering, cutting-edge technology, and using unique new materials to come up with an exciting new product. However, the deal might not live out its tenure, or if it does, there might be a renewal of the deal, owing to Brown‘s actions.
Zak Brown should have done a better job of hiding the gift
Per BusinessF1’s Scribbler, Brown should not have brought the bag to the podium, knowing full well that there would be cameras. With the eye of the media always on every big-name F1 personality, a more discreet approach by Brown would be better. The Scribbler added that much like Michael Schumacher, Brown is also a big fan of Audemars Piguet, popularly known as the “thinking man’s Rolex.”
Command Attention with Our Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph – Timekeeping, Redefined in Every Beat. ⌚✨ pic.twitter.com/w8kCPqFkaj
— Time Keeper Boutique (@timekeeperau) November 23, 2023
The Royal Oak Offshore is a 44mm 60-hour self-winder that many consider as Audemars Piguet’s greatest watch ever. According to the brand, the watch has “inextricable links” to the steering wheel of a Formula One car. The case is made of carbon fiber, while the crown is made from titanium. They say it makes the watch wearer supposedly feel “very sophisticated.” The Scribbler also mentioned that Zak Brown picked up the art of gift giving from the legendary Frank Sinatra, who was famous for his nasty temper, and his assistant would gift gold Rolexes to people who would fall victim to Sinatra’s wrath.
