McLaren won’t be “nasty” as it takes the fight to Red Bull in F1

McLaren CEO Zak Brown says McLaren is “prepared to go toe-to-toe” with Red Bull as it mounts a Formula 1 title challenge, but pledges the team won’t be “nasty” about it.

Following a string of car upgrades McLaren has closed the performance gap to Red Bull in recent weeks, having been the highest-scoring team over the past six races.

McLaren’s surge to the front has raised simmering tensions between Brown and his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner, heightened by Norris’ race-ending collision with Verstappen in Austria.

Sergio Perez’s performance struggles in the second Red Bull have left the door open for McLaren to mount an unlikely title challenge and close a 78-point gap as the season hits the halfway mark.

And with both teams expected to be finely matched for the second half of the 2024 season, Brown pledges McLaren is ready to take the fight to Red Bull without crossing the boundaries.

“We’re prepared to go toe-to-toe,” Brown said. “Nasty is not how McLaren goes racing. I think you can go toe-to-toe, but you don’t have to be nasty about it.

“They seem to, at times, have a win-at-all-costs mentality. That’s not how we go racing, but we think you can go toe-to-toe and take the fight to them our own way.”

Lando Norris took his maiden win in Miami, but a number of strategy mistakes have prevented the Briton or team-mate Oscar Piastri from adding to that tally.

In Silverstone, McLaren left the door open for Lewis Hamilton to take Mercedes’ second win in a row, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen still wringing out three victories on weekends when he hasn’t necessarily had the quickest car.

When asked how McLaren has dealt with the added pressure and spotlights of fighting for wins rather than occasional podiums, Brown was adamant the “good stress” of fighting at the front hadn’t impacted the team’s pitwall.

“It’s exciting. It’s a good stress of going: ‘Don’t get this wrong because this is for a race win’, and when it’s a fourth or a fifth or an eighth it’s [different].

“But I think it’s enjoyable. I’m on pitwall and the tone of the team led by Andrea [Stella, team principal], by Randy [Singh, racing director]… you wouldn’t know if we’re racing for the win or we’re in 10th. I think that’s what you want to see.

“There’s nothing on pitwall like: ‘Oh my god, we’re in the lead’. It’s business as usual, so the team is definitely up for it.”

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