Zak Brown criticizes Red Bull's internal strife as McLaren emerges as title contender
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
SINGAPORE -- McLaren CEO Zak Brown has voiced concerns about the detrimental effects of internal politics and toxic culture, drawing a parallel to what he perceives as Red Bull Racing's current predicament.
McLaren has surged to the lead in the constructors' championship at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, marking their first such lead since 2014. This comes amid fierce scrutiny from rival teams regarding McLaren's controversial rear-wing design, which has been mandated for modification ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Red Bull, previously dominant earlier in the year, has not secured a race win since June's Spanish Grand Prix. The team has been embroiled in off-track controversies, including sexual misconduct investigations involving team boss Christian Horner and an ongoing internal power struggle with racing advisor Helmut Marko. Reports suggest that the turmoil has reached even the drivers, with world champion Max Verstappen contemplating a switch to Mercedes or Aston Martin in 2026.
In an effort to keep McLaren free of such complications, Brown cited a phrase from team principal Andrea Stella: "Don't eat the poison biscuit."
"Andrea's got a great phrase: 'Don't eat the poison biscuit,'" Brown told Autosport. "Everyone now is like 'flexi-wing this and that,' and I have to insulate the team to the best of my ability from the incoming [scrutiny].
"I know people are going to stir it and I have to protect the team, because if you look at one team in particular, where there's lots of 'poison' and lots of incoming, look what's happening.
"That is an unbelievably great team that, at the moment, is going in the wrong direction because of culture. Their wind tunnel is not any different than it was a year ago. I think that is a moral culture. People are leaving, [there is] lots of noise, look at the top, one team principal makes a statement, then Helmut [Marko] makes [a different one].
"Drivers aren't happy -- driver's dads ... but it is the same factory and with a huge budget. So, like, what's changed? The culture of the people."
Brown alluded to key departures at Red Bull: design legend Adrian Newey, moving to Aston Martin, and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, set to become Sauber's team boss. Red Bull has announced a restructure to address these changes.
McLaren's turnaround has been one of the standout narratives of this F1 season. The team faced immense pressure at the start of 2023, which saw the departure of technical director James Key following a difficult preseason. However, a significant upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix has reinvigorated the team.
Lando Norris' first victory at the Miami Grand Prix in May, coupled with the car's upgrade, established McLaren as a frontrunner. Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri have secured three additional race wins since then.
"I'm still scarred, and hopefully permanently scarred, from the start of 2023," Brown confessed. "There's two types of people in this world, those that are motivated by the thrill of victory and those that are motivated by the fear of defeat. I'm motivated by the fear of defeat, which gets me out of bed every day.
"It's probably unhealthier, yes, more stressful and probably explains why I had ulcers a year and a half ago! But I'm never relaxed, I'm never comfortable, and I think being uncomfortable is a good thing. Managing it is important but I don't feel like I'm ever going to take my foot off the throttle, because if you pan out far enough you can see trouble ahead."
McLaren's resurgence underscores the volatile nature of Formula 1, where a change in culture and strategy can dramatically alter a team's fortunes.
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