McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, admitted that the team could be tempted to pursue production of its own Formula 1 engines if the right deal emerges.
Under the new F1 regulations, there has been consistent chatter regarding engines and their manufacturers. In a sport where the best-developed engine gives a team a significant edge, producing your own can be an even greater advantage.
McLaren has been a long-time customer of Mercedes engines, though it has taken breaks between stints. The partnership began in 1955 and ended for the first time in 2014. From 2015 to 2020, they turned to manufacturers such as Honda [which proved disastrous] and Renault, seeking greater performance. However, ultimately, they returned to Mercedes for the 2021 season.
Despite being a customer team, the Papaya team has not been held back by relying on another team’s engines, taking championships in the past few seasons and consistently besting their works team since 2024.
Despite the strengths McLaren has found, producing your own engines comes with benefits, as it seemed clear coming into the 2026 season that Mercedes had worked out a trick that McLaren had not. This has enabled Mercedes a level of dominance that the reigning champions cannot match.
Getting used to their winning ways, McLaren met the 2026 season with DNFs and a regrettable double DNS.
Brown told the media at the Indy 500 that while it wasn’t something the team are actively pursuing, it isn’t something they’d refuse.
“I think if you got an engine formula that was financially viable, then, yeah, we would consider it and the technology.
“That being said, we couldn’t be happier with Mercedes [High Performance Powertrains], so yeah, if something is presented to us that first financially makes sense, then we’ll have a look at it.”
2026 regulation qualms
Under the massive overhaul of the regulations that 2026 has seen, there has been an equal slew of criticism for the racing or lack thereof, under the changes.
There have been changes in the first few races, with the sport looking to make further changes ahead of the 2027 season. But the process is low and largely trial-and-error.
Brown urged that F1 will remain just as popular as ever despite the criticism.
“No, because – so the racing is great, like if you didn’t hear the drivers and were just watching on TV, the TV product is great,“ Brown said.
“There’s passing, five different leaders in Miami, passes for the lead, so I think the fans watching the race are going, ’That’s a damn exciting race.’”
Brown believes that the majority of the issues coming from fans and drivers alike come from adjustments. As the rules continue to be tweaked and the grid gets up to speed, the racing will continue to improve.
“I think what happened is with any new technology. We already saw it in Miami. We’ve seen that the drivers are getting A, more used to it, and B, the rules are getting more refined. We’ll get them maybe not to a perfect place, but there’s always been rule management, tyre management, and now you have battery management.
“I think it’s to an extreme that the majority of the drivers don’t enjoy it – it’s still racing. … So I think that will smooth itself out, and I think everything in Formula 1 has a magnifying glass of 1,000 on it.”
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