Brown’s Ferrari F1 bromance and the importance of fun

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and his friendship with Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has become noticeable to the point they are revelling in each other’s successes.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris of McLaren are separated by just seven points in the drivers’ championship as they hunt down leader Max Verstappen.

It is a unique feel-good story between two of motorsport’s oldest and most competitive teams but one which Brown says stems from the fact he cannot trust other team principals in the Formula 1 paddock to race as cleanly.

It comes after Vasseur was caught up in celebrating Norris’s first Formula 1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix.

The 56-year-old lined up with a throng of photographers looking to capture the team’s celebratory photo.

Brown tossed Vasseur a McLaren cap, which he wore backwards, before opening a bottle of champagne and soaking the McLaren team members with it.

Both Brown and Vasseur have revelled in seeing their respective drivers win in recent races. Last week, Brown got a tattoo of the Miami circuit layout to act as a permanent reminder to Norris’ win, while Vasseur dived into Port Hercules in Monte Carlo to toast Charles Leclerc’s home victory.

The developing bond between the duo, whose teams are separated by 40 points in the constructors’ championship, stands out for Brown, who says it is down to them sharing the same “ethical boundaries”.

“Fred is doing a great job,” he tells Autosport. “I wish, and you can do it with some principals more than others, we’re going to fight hard on and off the track but we are going to race each other cleanly.

“I can’t say that about half the field. And some are really bad…

“It is natural what happened between Fred and I [in Miami], when he came over and I threw him the hat. That is what sport should be about – to be able to fight each other hard on the track and then shake each other’s hand once it is all said and done.

“It is a much more fun way to go racing, so I am having fun.

“I figured out that you have to race people the way they race you. I prefer to race cleanly but unfortunately, not all my competitors race cleanly.

“There are some in the pitlane that unfortunately the only way to race them, is race them the way they race.