McLaren’s Zak Brown provides the F1 establishment with a blueprint for success

In his role as CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown does not shy away from the face-to-face pulpit.

The American marketing expert and former racing driver who now heads the McLaren F1 team’s fortunes has had a few years to familiarize himself with the F1 landscape. He was named Executive Director of McLaren Technology Group in 2016 and named McLaren Racing Front Runner two years later.

Before that he was busy running Just Marketing International – one of the world’s best marketing outfits.

Now Brown is spreading his wings and ruffling a few feathers outside of his own team. This week, 49-year-old Brown published a 3,500+ (that’s a lot of people) word manifest on the state of Formula 1. And Brown offered more than just a review, he offered some solutions to perceived problems that he had on the series often referred to as the “pinnacle of motorsport”.

Among the things Brown wants to see to get to the top:

• More growth in the US and China

• Continuous growth in social media and on these platforms that were recently viewed as nontraditional outlets (think Drive to Survive on Netflix).

• The schedule is limited from the current 23 races to a manageable 20 races – with up to 15 races that are set annually in the schedule and a further 10 races that are filmed in other markets.

• Advanced tests to develop younger drivers

• F1 to take a closer look at the team alliances (e.g. Red Bull / AlphaTauri, Mercedes / Aston Martin / McLaren / Williams, Ferrari / Haas / Alfa Romeo) grid.

• More secret ballots on topics to combat the pressure client teams may have in voting for changes.

• Continue efforts to promote sustainability and environmental concerns.

Read Zak Brown’s full comment here

“We must continue to drive change to ensure the future prosperity of our sport,” said Brown. “The effects of the pandemic forced the world to reconsider many of its values. It coincided with a wave of historic protests highlighting social and racial injustices, and the dark days of lockdown also gave us time to reflect on the ramifications we all have have on the world and the need to drive harder to reduce and address the effects of climate change. “

Brown is more than happy to serve as the agent of change, and he’s happy with what he sees in Stefano Domenicali, the new executive director of F1.

“We need to keep cutting costs, expanding in key markets, growing our fan base, promoting sustainability, increasing diversity and inclusion, while ensuring that governance of our sport is transparent and fairer for all,” said Brown. “I believe Stefano will lead us into a realm of fresh thinking, with an energy tied to both knowledge and passion for motorsport. And as FIA President Jean Todt’s advancing term comes to its natural conclusion, I hope that when he is handed over to His successor, the partnership between the governing body and F1, the commercial rights holder, will continue to flourish. “

McLaren’s Lando Norris will go through a training session in Portugal on Friday.

Photo onlyGetty Images

Sport and the planet must continue to hold the pedal on the metal on sustainability, according to Brown.

“The climate change emergency has a profound impact on any global organization, and we at McLaren are not alone in developing our sustainability agenda as we strive for zero net carbon footprint and the transition to circularity,” said Brown. “And the positive changes we’re making to manage this transition will continue to instill trust in our fans, investors and stakeholders. But as a sport, we must continue to prioritize action in this area.”

McLaren was the first F1 team to be certified carbon neutral.

“This is an ongoing journey that affects everyone in their daily life,” he said. Whether it’s the small things like eliminating single-use plastics or going on a larger scale, if you follow the guidelines of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to achieve net carbon zero by 2030, or our transition to a circular economy through waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

“More importantly, our goal is to go beyond regulatory compliance and actively find and deliver solutions to the environmental challenge. McLaren, for example, was the first Formula One team to use natural fiber composites. We worked with a sustainable lightweight construction specialist to develop a racing seat made of natural fiber that had the same strength and rigidity, but had a 75% lower CO2 footprint than its carbon fiber counterpart. ”

Brown isn’t afraid of change, and he’s not afraid to seek help on this crusade. He hopes F1 isn’t afraid of change either.

“We’re so busy doing the sport and competing that it is easy for us to look no further than the next race or the next season,” says Brown. “F1 can benefit from seeking advice from world-class experts in areas such as events, sustainability, digital marketing and fan engagement.

“Currently, recommendations and even decisions on these strategic needs are being made by racing drivers who know a lot about racing but are not experts and specialists in these key areas. The sport would benefit from outside perspectives through a marketing council.” can address and advise new ways for the growth of Formula 1 and help to find new ways. “

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