McLaren CEO Zak Brown has pledged that the team will learn from the “mistakes” it made in last year’s Formula 1 championship, admitting that “s*** happens”.
The Woking-based squad, to the layperson, enjoyed a spectacular 2025 campaign, winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships for the first time since 1998.
It retained the teams’ crown in Singapore, with Lando Norris pipping both team-mate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen to the Drivers’ title at the final round in Abu Dhabi.
But the season was fraught with controversy, as the team’s bid for the Drivers’ title was almost derailed by its insistence on fairness and equality between both drivers.
Coupled with this, the strategy blunder in the penultimate round in Qatar left Piastri further away from the title, and scuppered Norris’ chance to sew it up, as Verstappen snatched victory from them.
Brown was quick to acknowledge Verstappen and Red Bull’s staggering latter-season resurgence which pushed the team “all the way” to the finale, and recognised the moments where the team went wrong.
“In the final year before a major rule reset, the competition was fiercer than ever, but we relished the fight, he said.
“There were challenging moments along the way, and we definitely made some mistakes that played into the hands of our competitors – which are important to acknowledge – but these were dealt with swiftly and provided valuable lessons that made us better as a team.
“We are racers and have been in this sport long enough to understand that s*** happens, and it’s part of the game. What’s important is how we react in these situations to help drive us forward.
“When we make mistakes, we take responsibility. We address difficult situations directly, openly and constructively, ensuring we move forward stronger and more aligned.
“The lessons we learned last year, and there were many, are a part of our constant evolution as a team and will undoubtedly make us better prepared.
“We’re a relatively young team, but we learn quickly, and we bounce back with vigour and purpose. Championships are won by how teams respond under pressure, and I am proud of how we handled those more challenging moments.”
Brown praises ‘incredible talents’ Norris and Piastri, defends McLaren ‘culture’
Brown was also full of praise for both Norris and Piastri, who endured a titanic intra-team fight for supremacy, with the Brit overturning the Australian’s 34-point advantage, acrewed by August.
Despite the pair’s occasional incidents – such as in Montreal and Singapore – Brown stated the pair’s capability to maintain professionalism and cordiality during their battle.
“The championship ended up going down to the wire and was decided in the final laps of the final race of the year,” the American said. “It definitely kept us on the edge of our seats and made for some very tense times on the pit wall, but we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Oscar and Lando pushed each other to new heights. They were fiercely competitive but always raced in the right spirit. It was intense, dramatic, and at times nerve-wracking.
“But for these two incredible talents to both have an opportunity to secure the championship in the final race says everything about how we go racing at McLaren.
“This culture, and the freedom to race your team-mate with respect and integrity, runs deep in McLaren Racing’s DNA. Behind the scenes, an enormous amount of work went into ensuring both drivers had a fair shot going into the final race.
“And you can see from the way they behaved after crossing the line in Abu Dhabi how much mutual respect they have for one another.”
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