Zak Brown: McLaren’s 2025 Mistakes Were Key to Championship Success
McLaren CEO Zak Brown reflects on the team's 2025 championship, admitting mistakes were made. He argues that learning from these errors, rather than avoiding them, is what made the team stronger and better prepared for future challenges.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has reflected on the team's hard-fought 2025 championship victory, candidly admitting that mistakes were made during the season. In an open letter to fans, Brown framed these errors not as failures, but as "valuable lessons" that ultimately strengthened the team and made them "better prepared" for the future, emphasizing that a team's response to adversity is what truly defines it.
Why it matters:
Brown's comments offer a rare glimpse into the mindset of a modern F1 team navigating intense pressure. In a sport where margins are razor-thin, the ability to acknowledge errors, manage internal driver rivalries, and learn from missteps is often the difference between winning and losing a championship. This culture of accountability and resilience is crucial for sustained success, especially as F1 heads into a new regulatory era.
The details:
- Acknowledging Errors: Brown admitted to strategic mistakes that "played into the hands of our competitors" but stressed they were dealt with swiftly. He summed up the team's philosophy by stating, "s*** happens," but the key is how a team reacts to move forward stronger.
- A Dramatic Title Fight: The 2025 season culminated in a nail-biting finale, with Lando Norris clinching his first drivers' title by just two points over Max Verstappen. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, who led for much of the year, finished third, highlighting the team's impressive depth.
- Managing Driver Rivalry: Brown defended McLaren's "papaya rules," insisting the team gave both Norris and Piastri a "fair and equal opportunity to go for the title." He praised the drivers for pushing each other to "new heights" while maintaining mutual respect, a culture he says is "deep in McLaren Racing’s DNA."
What's next:
The lessons from the 2025 campaign are now being integrated into McLaren's DNA as they prepare for the future. With a young team that "learns quickly," Brown is confident that the experience of handling pressure and overcoming mistakes will be invaluable. As F1 approaches a major rule reset, this newfound resilience could be the key factor that allows McLaren to defend its titles and remain at the front of the grid.