Brown sets McLaren ambitions target in F1 title challenge

McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes he sees no reason why the team cannot complete a clean sweep of the remaining F1 races in its championship challenge.

With the MCL38 proving fast at a variety of tracks, McLaren is currently the favourite for the constructors’ championship – despite being eight points behind Red Bull in the standings.

As Red Bull continues to struggle, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been scoring big points haul consistently, winning three grands prix between them in McLaren’s first championship challenge since 2012.

Should Norris and Piastri guide it to the title, it would be the first for the Woking team since Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard did so in 1998, and should either win the drivers’, it would be the first McLaren title since Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 triumph. 

Heading into the flyaway races in Asia, the Americas and the Middle East, Brown feels McLaren can sweep the board.

“I don’t see why we can’t be going for the win every race weekend,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. 

“We are going to have tough competition, but we have shown that our car is good in all kinds of conditions, on all different types of circuits.

“We were very strong in Singapore last year, and Baku is always a bit of a crazy race, but we are going to show up every weekend and go for pole, the front-row lockout and try to win. 

“I’m sure it won’t quite work like that for the next eight races, but the competition is stiff.”

A thorn in the side

Whilst Ferrari appears to be out of the drivers’ championship with Charles Leclerc 86 points behind Verstappen to Norris’s 62, it does carry a threat in the constructors’. 

Red Bull tops those standings with 446 points to McLaren on 438 and Ferrari on 407, with Brown relishing the first three-way constructors’ fight since the same three teams in 2012.

“What we have is a three-way race for the constructors’ championship,” said Brown.

“Because Ferrari is 31 points behind – but [in the Italian Grand Prix], it was them and us [fighting for the win].

“It is exciting to see what will happen and it is good for Formula 1.”