Zak Brown revealed that he was very close to taking a position directly in Formula 1 before choosing McLaren. The current CEO of the British team stated that he received an opportunity considered ‘incredible’ to work in the category, but decided to continue with the team in motorsport because he wanted to remain directly involved with racing.
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Brown joined McLaren in 2016 as executive director of McLaren Technology Group and took over as CEO of McLaren Racing in 2018. Since then, he has led the team’s rebuild, which returned to winning constructors’ titles and celebrated Lando Norris’s drivers’ championship in 2025, the team’s first since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
In an interview with The Race Business, Brown explained that he initially believed his future would be in Formula 1 itself. According to him, Chase Carey’s arrival at the helm of the category opened doors for important conversations, as the two already had a previous professional relationship: “I had an opportunity. Chase Carey was hired in 2016 and did a wonderful job. I knew him from the DirecTV days, as well as Eric Schenks and Derek Chang,” Brown said. The executive admitted that, at that moment, he believed he would move to Formula 1.
At the same time, Brown was negotiating with Ron Dennis a possible entry into McLaren. However, the executive revealed that the role initially offered by the team did not seem as interesting as the proposal related to the category.
The scenario changed after internal changes at McLaren and Dennis’s departure from the company: “When the shareholders split and Ron left the company, they presented me with something more exciting than the opportunity in Formula 1,” he said.
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Even recognizing the size of the proposal received from the category, the CEO said his passion for racing weighed in the final decision: “Formula 1 was an incredible opportunity. But what I like about McLaren is that I like to race,” he said.
Brown used Bernie Ecclestone as an example to explain his view of the sport: “When the lights went out, Bernie went home. When the lights go out, I want to race,” he added. According to him, working in Formula 1 would offer the commercial side and contact with fans, but would lack the direct experience in racing.
The executive also recalled the scenario he found when he arrived at McLaren. Brown described the team as a problematic environment, marked by internal discontent and a lot of politics. Still, he saw potential in a historic brand that needed revitalization.
The visual change to the traditional papaya tone was part of this transformation, according to Brown, in an attempt to make McLaren a ‘more energetic, friendly, and welcoming’ brand. The executive also highlighted the commercial strengthening of the team as a key piece to finance technical improvements, hire drivers, and invest in infrastructure.
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