Zak Brown struck a defiant tone upon McLaren’s unveiling of its 2025 F1 car, but insisted the team will not know where it stands until the season-opening grand prix.
The McLaren Racing CEO believes the Woking squad has taken steps forward over the winter with its “championship challenger”, but is nonetheless preaching cautious optimism.
After winning its first constructors’ title since 1998 last season, Brown is targeting both crowns in the campaign ahead.
Lando Norris mounted a distant championship fight to Max Verstappen, but never got within striking distance of the Dutchman, who ultimately clinched his fourth-consecutive title by 63 points to the Briton.
However, with Red Bull’s other driver – the now-sidelined Sergio Perez – struggling, McLaren and Ferrari usurped the Milton Keynes team in the hunt for the constructors’ throne.
However, Brown knows the whole team must remain “realistic” about the very distinct possibility its rivals have closed the gap, which was already wafer thin, over the offseason.
“Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title,” the American said upon the unveiling of McLaren’s new car.
“It’s great to get our championship challenger, the MCL39, on track for the first time and to launch the culmination of the team’s hard work.”
“We must be realistic that every team will have made progress over the winter. Last year highlighted just how much the grid has closed up, which is a brilliant thing for the sport. We believe we have made further steps forward since the championship-winning MCL38 but we won’t know where we sit in the standings until we get into qualifying in Australia.
“We’re a team that never stops racing and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both championships back to Woking.”
