Zak Brown, McLaren chief executive officer, is confident that the Woking-based team can be in the fight to win the Formula 1 titles once again. On the Mercedes power unit, which is currently under scrutiny over its compression ratio, Brown firmly sides with the three-pointed star.
McLaren is setting off to win again. Once more. This afternoon, the Woking team unveiled the MCL40, its car for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, directly from the garages of the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.
The defence of the titles won in 2025 begins today, with the new car finally wearing its official livery after having run in black during the three-day shakedown it took part in. Zak Brown, McLaren’s chief executive officer, took stock of the situation on the sidelines of the launch event.
Brown said that everyone at McLaren MasterCard Formula 1 was very excited, as the team was about to present its new car just a few hours later. He explained that the development of the car over the winter break had gone well and described the moment as an exciting one, especially with brand-new and very complex regulations that the teams were still discovering.
He also added that the drivers had enjoyed an excellent winter break, were in good physical condition and well prepared. Brown highlighted the team’s strong commercial partnerships, mentioning the renewal of expiring deals and, above all, the first full season with MasterCard as title partner.
From a team perspective, Zak Brown explained that there had been very few changes at McLaren, and that this was very much intentional. He confirmed that Will Courtenay had started working with the team and would therefore be a familiar face to most, even if he represented a new addition. Aside from that, Brown underlined that the technical group, the pit wall and the overall structure would remain the same, with all the usual figures continuing in their roles for the new season.
During the Barcelona tests, the MCL40 showed several very interesting signs, but Zak Brown was keen not to fuel expectations, as no team had truly pushed to the limit. Nevertheless, he sees four teams as potential contenders for success.
Brown explained that it was still too early to draw conclusions and that judging the competitive picture based on Spain alone would be very risky. What he could say, however, was that McLaren felt competitive. According to him, the top four teams all appeared very strong, making it premature to go beyond cautious optimism. He added that there were indications McLaren would be competitive, but stressed that any predictions beyond the first few days of testing would be premature. Brown concluded that things would start to become clearer over the following two weeks.
Finally, Zak Brown could not avoid addressing the ongoing discussion surrounding power units, with the Mercedes engine — which powers the MCL40 — at the centre of attention due to the hot compression ratio issue. Brown defended the heart of McLaren’s cars, describing it as fully compliant with the regulations.
Brown stated that this was typical Formula 1 politics and explained that the engine had been designed in full compliance with the rules, which he described as the very spirit of the sport. He compared the situation to past technical controversies, such as double diffusers, which were also within the regulations at the time. He said he did not believe there was any significant advantage over the competition, but acknowledged that rival teams would naturally seek to turn any perceived advantage into a talking point. Brown stressed that the reality was that the engine passed all regulatory tests and added that Mercedes HPP had done an excellent job.
He concluded by saying that McLaren was aware of what was happening, but that it was ultimately a Mercedes matter. Brown explained that McLaren does not build or design the power unit, and therefore relies on HPP to keep the team informed. He underlined that while McLaren is obviously very interested in the situation, it is not part of the power unit working group where these discussions take place.
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