McLaren Racing may be leading both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in Formula 1, but CEO Zak Brown says the team has plenty of unfinished business.
That’s because Brown’s aspirations aren’t just limited to F1; he targets success across all of McLaren’s racing expansive portfolio.
Zak Brown claims McLaren has “unfinished business”
McLaren Racing may be making waves in the Formula 1 world, but CEO Zak Brown isn’t satisfied.
Brown took the helm of McLaren back in 2018. At that time, the Formula 1 team was the only motorsport programme competing under the McLaren banner, and things weren’t looking good. The Woking-based team was scrapping for points with the rest of the backmarkers, trying desperately not to finish last in the World Constructors’ Standings.
Eight years down the road, the picture is entirely different. McLaren won the 2024 constructors’ title in Formula 1, and is a race winning IndyCar operation. The organisation will add a World Endurance Championship programme for 2027.
Things are looking good — but Brown knows the team is capable of more.
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In an interview with Canadian broadcaster TSN ahead of IndyCar’s recent race on the streets of Toronto — which was won by McLaren driver Pato O’Ward — Brown was asked if he felt like he’d achieved the goals he set out for McLaren.
“No,” he said, before continuing, “I feel like we’re on our way. I feel like we’re hitting out goals.
“But our ultimate goal is to win the Indy 500, to win the IndyCar championship, win the Formula 1 constructors’ championship, win the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, win Le Mans, and win the World Endurance Championship.
“And then to do it again!
“We’ve only been able to do one of those so far, which is the constructors’ championship — but in all seriousness, we’re well on our way.
“But a lot of unfinished business.”
Admittedly, Brown’s goals in 2018 were perhaps far more humble than those of 2025, but the outfit’s transformative turnaround — particularly in Formula 1 — has set a new standard.
While McLaren has achieved only one of the six major goals Brown listed, it looks set to add a second to the list at the conclusion of the F1 2025 season, with either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri likely to claim the F1 drivers’ title.
In IndyCar, though, it’s been a little more challenging, with Brown admitting McLaren is “closer” to achieving its IndyCar goals, but “not there yet.”
“We have a good run; we’re fifth in the championship at the moment. Just won our first race of the year [ed: O’Ward’s win in Toronto added a second to that tally],” he said.
“Not many have won races this year! I’ve never seen, in my years of following IndyCar, a driver dominate like Alex [Palou] has, which we know is a fantastic talent with a great racing team.
“We’ve come close on the Indy 500 on three occasions now.
“We’re moving into our new shop. We just got the keys to it; we’ve brought in some new senior hires; very happy with our driver line-up.
“I feel we’re on our way, but we’re still a young team.
“We need to get into our new shop, be able to get our elbows out, but I’m liking everything that I’m seeing from Tony [Kanaan] and Kevin [Thimjon] who are leading the team.”
McLaren has taken over Andretti Global’s former race shop as it moves into its own facility elsewhere in Indiana. The primary improvement in that facility, according to Brown, is its space.
“But it’s about how you use that space,” he explained.
“The shop we’re in now is kind of, at best, set up for a two-car team; we’re now a three-car team that expands to four. We have multiple buildings all over the place where we’re keeping our spare parts, which is not a great way to operate.
“I think our new facility is gonna give us room; it’s gonna allow us to bring in more technology and operate more efficiently because we don’t need to get in the car to go pick something up, it’s all there; we’ll have better facilities for our team members as far as canteens and workout facilities.
“At the end of the day, we just need to drive the same culture and high performance that we’ve had in Formula 1, which we have — but you then need to create an environment that allows people to operate at their best, and that is not the current environment we’re in.
“The new shop is gonna make everyone proud; a great place for our sponsors. It’s significantly larger than where we are now. So you put all that together, it’s gonna make a big difference.”
Another of the reasons McLaren Racing is able to thrive is because Brown’s learned when to leave well enough alone.
Asked about how he balances his responsibilities in various racing series, Brown chuckled, “Balance isn’t one of my greater strengths; I just go!
“Fortunately, the way I’ve set up McLaren Racing is, the performance of each race team is something I help contribute to — of course it’s ultimately my responsibility — but it’s Tony’s job, it’s Andrea Stella, it’s James Barclay in the World Endurance Championship.
“The way to do this is every team is kind of self-contained, has its own team.
“So I fly in and fly out, whether it’s a Formula 1 race or an IndyCar race, to see where I can add value. A lot of that’s on the media side, a lot of that’s on the corporate partnership side.
“And staying close to the teams, but also knowing when to stay out of their way.”
It’s a strategy that has seemed to be working for Brown in Formula 1, and it sets an impressive tone for the team’s operations in IndyCar and the forthcoming WEC programme.
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