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The historic British team had hoped for good things under the new rules, but after finishing fourth with 275 points in the previous season, it was languishing fifth with just 89 points more than halfway into the 2022 campaign, way off its trajectory.<\/p>\n
Brown, whose management had already rescued the team from financial oblivion, was realising that the rot in the once-great McLaren ran much deeper than he first thought.<\/p>\n
Daniel Ricciardo was the canary in the coalmine.<\/p>\n
Ricciardo had been signed to McLaren on a three-year deal starting in 2021 to lead it back to greatness, but his tenure had flopped, a lukewarm first season giving way to a thoroughly ordinary second campaign.<\/p>\n
His troubles were largely down to a driving style that suited neither the prevalent regulations nor the peculiar way McLaren\u2019s cars liked to be steered.<\/p>\n
But undeniable is that McLaren also didn\u2019t give him a regularly competitive car.<\/p>\n
The 2022 French Grand Prix could\u2019ve been the race that stemmed the bleeding. The team had prepared a swingeing upgrade package it hopes would reinvigorate its season.<\/p>\n
But the upgrades failed. Lando Norris was fifth on the grid but was almost 1.2 seconds off the pace, while Ricciardo qualified 11th.<\/p>\n
They finished seventh and ninth respectively, both roughly a minute behind winner Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n
The result was deeply troubling for Brown, but what happened next perturbed him more deeply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe response wasn\u2019t the response I was expecting,\u201d he told F1\u2019s Beyond the Grid podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically I can\u2019t solve that problem, but I can look at the people I\u2019m expecting to solve that problem and go, \u2018Did you guys not just see what happened on Sunday?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just like business as usual on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2022 we had the headlines of our driver challenges with Daniel, but I saw underneath that I didn\u2019t like the direction the team was going and the leadership around what we do today: just incremental gains, never being satisfied, striving for perfection \u2014 never getting perfection, because you can always do better, but still chasing it \u2014 that kind of incremental teamwork mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Awkward Hamilton radio exchange | 01:13<\/p>\n
McLaren hadn\u2019t won a constructors championship since 1998, and though it had claimed two drivers titles since then, the team had been rotting for almost a decade. A combination of mismanagement and arrogance had been corrosive to the team\u2019s foundations, and a pandemic-fuelled financial crisis had brought it to the brink of collapse.<\/p>\n
Brown, an American motorsport marketing mogul by trade, had rebuilt the team\u2019s financial capacity, ensuring McLaren\u2019s long-term viability, but that\u2019s never enough in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
Competitive momentum, even for the sport\u2019s biggest teams, is hard to recapture once it\u2019s completely evaporated.<\/p>\n
Williams stands as a testament to this rule. It\u2019s the third most successful team in F1 history by constructors titles, but a long decline since its last in 1997 has proved intractable and enduring.<\/p>\n
McLaren was staring into the abyss.<\/p>\n
That was 24 July 2022.<\/p>\n
Brown, alarmed by his critical realisation, imagined a restructure that would finally set up McLaren for success.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most important change was the elevation of Andrea Stella to team principal for 2023.<\/p>\n
Within months he\u2019d used his wide-ranging remit to make more changes. Technical director James Key was sacked, and the design office was divided into three components, each of which reported to Stella as a sort of technical team principal. Other executive roles were reorganised to better focus the team on getting the most from its resources.<\/p>\n
By the middle of the season the team was back on the podium. In 2024 it won the constructors championship.<\/p>\n
This year the first-to-last comeback was complete, with Norris leading the team to its first drivers-constructors championship double since 1998, a drought spanning 27 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt comes back to the people,\u201d Brown continued. \u201c[Starting with] 1000 people, we made three or four changes, a couple of structural changes \u2014 it was the same 996 people that gave us the car that was ninth quickest on the grid in the first race [in 2023] in Bahrain that gave us a car that was running at the front by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the power of people and leadership and teamwork and alignment.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of those people changed out was Ricciardo.<\/p>\n
Verstappen snaps back at reporter | 00:49<\/p>\n
DRIVERS FIRST<\/p>\n
With a year still to run on his contract, Ricciardo was paid off for 2023, his sacking made official during the mid-season break.<\/p>\n
It had become clear the eight-time race winner didn\u2019t gel with this generation of car, and with the clock ticking on McLaren\u2019s recovery, he was deemed too heavy to carry.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job \u2026 is to make the tough decisions,\u201d Brown told Fox Sports at the time. \u201cBecause we didn\u2019t really see progress happening, it was like, \u2018Well I think we just need to make a change for both of our sakes\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably the toughest thing I\u2019ve had in my time in motorsports. It wasn\u2019t pleasant, not fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the decision was made easier by Norris having grown in stature in his fourth campaign. He regularly beat Ricciardo over their two years together and was turning in increasingly consistent and impressive performances.<\/p>\n
In an era of the so-called franchise driver in Formula 1, McLaren had found its north star in the Englishman. It supplanted the need for a big-money Ricciardo-style racer and instead freed up the team to think about its future with broader horizons.<\/p>\n
Convincing Norris of his place in that future was critical to the success of the rebuild, and the Briton duly signed long-term contract extensions in 2022 and 2024, the last of which will keep him in Woking until at least the end of 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been a fundamental part of the leadership,\u201d Stella told Beyond the Grid. \u201cThe commitment he made to McLaren when we did not have much to offer, and yet he committed to McLaren \u2014 he kind of trusted that we would turn the place around \u2014 is something that sent a strong message to everyone, sent a strong message to the entire team, a message of belief, and it\u2019s a message for which we are definitely grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
That broader horizon stretched all the way to Alpine, from which McLaren pinched Oscar Piastri from under the nose of the lackadaisical Renault-owned team.<\/p>\n
Frosty scenes in podium room | 02:14<\/p>\n
Piastri was the opposite of a Ricciardo figure in that he was totally inexperienced and lacked a profile.<\/p>\n
But he started pushing Norris to be better almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been pushing me an insane amount, which is a good thing,\u201d Norris said just halfway through Piastri\u2019s first season. \u201cIt\u2019s raised the level of what we do as a team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been good since day one in the car and makes my life tough sometimes. I don\u2019t always like it, but it\u2019s a good thing at the end of the day, and it makes me a better driver too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri needed less than one season with the team before being offered a long-term deal, and he recommitted at the beginning of this year to hold his place until at least the end of 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the same sort of message [as Norris] that Oscar offered when he said, \u2018I\u2019m commit to McLaren\u2019 when in fact we didn\u2019t have much to offer, again, in 2023,\u201d Stella said. \u201cThe same kind of commitment to the team, the same sort of all-in for the team, full support to the team, did come from Oscar as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having both drivers locked down on long-term deals has done more than boost team morale and signal that the ship has completed its turn.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s driven both to bigger and better performances, particularly this season, as the realisation dawned that the better McLaren driver would have a shot at claiming their maiden championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past three years I\u2019ve learnt things every weekend from what Lando does, and it\u2019s nice to know that it goes both ways,\u201d Piastri said in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s plenty more years to come of intense weekends and tight battles. I think that\u2019s made both of us better drivers and in some ways contributed to the success that both of us have had this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Piastri\u2019s development has surprised the team. He always seemed destined to be among the sport\u2019s top tier, but he\u2019s arrived as a frontrunning force in just his third year, two seasons earlier than most expected this level of performance.<\/p>\n
For McLaren it\u2019s been a blessing and a curse.<\/p>\n
Piastri’s audacious opening move | 00:40<\/p>\n
WINNING THE McLAREN WAY<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to win the constructors is to finish first and second in the [drivers] championship, and the best way to win the drivers championship is to have two drivers going for the drivers championship,\u201d Brown continued.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s this philosophy \u2014 dating back to the Ron Dennis era of McLaren that saw Ferrari\u2019s Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen pip Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to the 2007 championship \u2014 that has guided the team\u2019s approach to managing its driver rivalry.<\/p>\n
The ideology had its doubters, not only because of the 2007 example but also because of the sport\u2019s long history witnessing teammates turn toxic when the drivers title is up for grabs.<\/p>\n
But the team was sure it could avoid a blow-up if it was sufficiently proactive.<\/p>\n
The strategy can be summarised in three parts.<\/p>\n
The first was to encourage constantly open dialogue. No question was too stupid, no statement too presumptive. Both drivers played their cards face up.<\/p>\n
The second was that McLaren would intervene in situations it deemed unfair, reserving the right to level the playing field.<\/p>\n
The third and most important was not to crash.<\/p>\n
At times pedantic, at other times excruciating and sometimes highly controversial, McLaren micromanaged its way through every on-track flashpoint in the hope it could stave off.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it caused its own secondary dramas. The Piastri side of the fence had several reasons to feel aggrieved, the Australian having more often than not been on the receiving end of internal justice.<\/p>\n
Hungary, Italy and Singapore were all sore points. Qatar was devastating, particularly for the role Norris\u2019s place on track might have played in the decision not to pit.<\/p>\n
But no wound was allowed to fester into something poisonous.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not perfect, but we\u2019re racers, and they know that,\u201d Brown continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the reason why you see such a great relationship between Lando and Oscar is they know they have equal opportunity to win the world championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLaren is the chief beneficiary, and in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
Not only did it romp to the constructors title with a record-equalling six rounds remaining, but the team became the sum of the best parts of Piastri and Norris rather than simply the bits left over from some ugly internal battle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is a testament to the way we go racing [that there was no boilover],\u201d Piastri said. \u201cObviously it\u2019s not easy fighting for both the constructors championship and the drivers championship with two very evenly matched drivers, but ultimately that\u2019s a problem we knew we were going to have.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of good things that come from that. Yes, there\u2019s difficult moments and tension at times, but I think both Lando and I have become better drivers from pushing each other to the limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes that\u2019s been uncomfortable for everyone, but ultimately it\u2019s been a good thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, at the end of the day, they gave us both as good a chance as the team could have to fairly fight for a world championship, and that\u2019s all you can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri upbeat despite title loss | 02:36<\/p>\n
CAN THE MODEL SURVIVE A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP?<\/p>\n
McLaren can say its papaya rules experiment has been a success, having taken home both championships, even if it often made things more difficult for itself through the season.<\/p>\n
It might even feel like it can finally put the debate over team orders in Italy to bed \u2014 had Piastri been allowed to finish second rather than hand the place to Norris, Verstappen would have won the championship by one point on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Chalk that up as a win for the team\u2019s gut instinct.<\/p>\n
But next year things will be different.<\/p>\n
McLaren is no longer managing two hungry young drivers looking to make their mark.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be fielding one driver in his fourth Formula 1 season and another who\u2019s the reigning world champion.<\/p>\n
The power dynamic has irrevocably changed.<\/p>\n
Piastri downplayed concerns that Norris could start next season as a sort of de facto number one owing to his new status.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that will change anything,\u201d Piastri insisted. \u201cFor me, he\u2019s obviously had a great season this year and a deserving champion, but he\u2019s still Lando Norris. It\u2019s not like he\u2019s become Superman. so, I don\u2019t think things will change with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m expecting full fairness from the team and equality going forward. I don\u2019t have any concerns that that will change at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
But even if there\u2019s no formal change to the understanding of the papaya rules, it\u2019s hard not to think things will look different in 2026.<\/p>\n
Every driver is adept at pushing the limits in all situations. Both Piastri and Norris have learnt a lot about the teams\u2019 limits when it comes to managing the fight between them.<\/p>\n
Piastri in particular will have kept receipts for the various incidents in which he came off second best.<\/p>\n
The biggest one might be whatever agreement he came to with McLaren ahead of Abu Dhabi to help Norris\u2019s title bid in certain circumstances.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s without considering what new precedents will be set next year as the competition between Piastri and Norris escalates.<\/p>\n
The 2025 drivers-constructors title double signalled the completion of a comeback journey that was set on its final course in 2022.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s always limited time for laurel-resting in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
McLaren must continue adapting if it\u2019s to turn the Norris-Piastri era into the dynasty they deserve to lead.<\/p>\n
That challenge starts now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"McLaren CEO Zak Brown had a lot on his mind on Monday 24 July 2022 as he returned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[944,187285,13273,1724,64,63,936,186508,182806,187291,2055,59961,16210,186491,187274,2075,187286,187288,21779,16177,181309,182306,183947,11301,187272,2057,71993,817,845,187273,16236,813,816,187280,187287,187270,939,187266,187265,2328,98783,187290,187292,167549,825,187282,187284,187279,102396,187268,187277,186513,187281,187275,32913,49513,2103,942,187269,187267,2812,3595,85,187278,187276,31283,187283,187271,12000,187289,2086],"class_list":{"0":"post-335895","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-abu-dhabi","9":"tag-american-motorsport-marketing","10":"tag-andrea-stella","11":"tag-asia","12":"tag-au","13":"tag-australia","14":"tag-bahrain","15":"tag-claims-maiden","16":"tag-clock-ticking","17":"tag-comeback-journey","18":"tag-constructors-championship","19":"tag-constructors-title","20":"tag-constructors-titles","21":"tag-daring-opening-move","22":"tag-deserving-champion","23":"tag-design-office","24":"tag-driver-challenges","25":"tag-driver-rivalry","26":"tag-drivers-championship","27":"tag-drivers-title","28":"tag-drivers-titles","29":"tag-drivers-constructors-championship","30":"tag-drivers-constructors-title","31":"tag-eastern-europe","32":"tag-eight-time-race-winner","33":"tag-europe","34":"tag-executive-roles","35":"tag-f1","36":"tag-fernando-alonso","37":"tag-final-course","38":"tag-final-race","39":"tag-formula-1","40":"tag-formula1","41":"tag-frosty-scenes","42":"tag-gut-instinct","43":"tag-historic-british-team","44":"tag-hungary","45":"tag-hungry-young-drivers","46":"tag-incremental-teamwork-mindset","47":"tag-italy","48":"tag-james-key","49":"tag-last-to-first-title-comeback","50":"tag-long-term-contract-extensions","51":"tag-maiden-championship","52":"tag-max-verstappen","53":"tag-motorsport-marketing-mogul","54":"tag-north-start-n","55":"tag-on-track-flashpoint","56":"tag-papaya-rules","57":"tag-papaya-rules-experiment","58":"tag-podium-room","59":"tag-post-race-media-session","60":"tag-prevalent-regulations","61":"tag-progress-happening","62":"tag-receiving-end","63":"tag-reigning-world-champion","64":"tag-ron-dennis","65":"tag-singapore","66":"tag-so-called-franchise-driver","67":"tag-sore-points","68":"tag-south-eastern-asia","69":"tag-southern-europe","70":"tag-sports","71":"tag-swingeing-upgrade-package","72":"tag-team-morale","73":"tag-team-orders","74":"tag-teammates-turn","75":"tag-technical-team-principal","76":"tag-western-asia","77":"tag-winner-lando-norris","78":"tag-world-championship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}