McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says the team’s success in Formula 1 and IndyCar has given them the confidence to take on the challenge of racing in Extreme E.
Last year, the team achieved its best position in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship since 2012, taking two podiums this season. His IndyCar team, formed with Schmidt Peterson in late 2019, clinched its first win courtesy of Pato O’Ward at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year.
It announced his move to Extreme E a little over 12 months after laying off 1,200 McLaren Group employees, including some from their F1 program. Since then, it has attracted new investment from MSP Sports, which was announced in December.
“Our challenges over the past year have been well documented and reported,” affirmed Brown. “When we brought in our new partners from MSP Sports, who gave us the resources we needed to invest primarily in our Formula 1 team. As you know, we have wind tunnels and [capital expenditure] Projects that are implemented and accelerated.
“Ultimately, we want to expand our franchise, our fan base and our sponsor portfolio. So I would say that halfway through our journey in Formula 1 we haven’t won any races, but we have podiums. We feel like we have a lot of momentum now and we want to build on that momentum. We have the resources to do it. I think these are extremely exciting times at McLaren Racing. “
Norris took McLaren’s second podium in Monaco in 2021, McLaren’s expansion in IndyCar has not been left without setbacks. A one-off appearance at the Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport in 2017 was promising, with Fernando Alonso leading the race before retiring. But McLaren’s solo appearance in 2019 was a disaster, the two-time world champion failed to qualify.
Brown said he learned from that experience how to be realistic about the team’s goals. “We certainly can’t get ourselves into the situation I got ourselves into in 2019, where I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew and we saw the result in Indianapolis.
“So, as I tell everyone in the factory, mistakes are fine, just don’t make the same mistake twice. So I will certainly be very careful and thoughtful when I add to the McLaren Racing portfolio that it is something that I think we can digest and do well. “
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In addition to the IndyCar ride, McLaren’s partnership with Schmidt Peterson has brought commercial benefits, Brown said.
“If you look at our Formula 1 and IndyCar teams, Arrow came from IndyCar to our Formula 1 team,” he said. “DarkTrace, most recently in our Formula 1 team, came across our IndyCar team because America is important to them. With Arrow they had America and wanted the rest of the world. “
McLaren will enter the Extreme Electric field in 2022. “Our success at IndyCar on and off the track has increased our confidence that we can compete competitively in multiple series,” he added. “We’re looking at the criteria we wanted IndyCar to enter and the reasons for that. It delivers against all of these elements.
“It fits our brand, North America is a very important marketplace, our trading partners are on both sides, we are competitive, it gives us a commercial advantage, etc.
“So that has certainly confirmed that if we do things right, well thought out, properly financed, they can be successful and complement our Formula 1 efforts again. Arrow is a prime example of this, and you can see Pato O’Ward will be testing a Formula 1 car in December. So there is a lot of energy that gives us the confidence to master the next one. “
Further expansion could be pending for the team in the near future. Brown previously hinted that McLaren could get into the recently launched hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship.
McLaren also has an option to join the Formula E field. “We haven’t made any final decisions about this yet,” said Brown. “Our option runs until the end of the year.
“So we want to publish this announcement and see what activity it triggers among our fans and in the market. The WEC and Formula E will therefore continue to be reviewed and we assume that we will set a direction for both over the course of the year. “
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