F1 McLaren revival explained: Zak Brown on culture shift and team spirit. McLaren CEO Zak Brown explains how he transformed the team culture at Woking.

Can you really win a world championship just by bringing a smile? Certainly not, but it definitely helps. McLaren CEO Zak Brown is well known across the paddock for his upbeat and cheerful personality, and he explained to RacingNews365.com how he has transformed McLaren’s atmosphere since arriving in Woking.

“I think back to my first day here. It was a dark environment, and I mean that literally: the paint on the car was black and dark grey, just like the walls. You could feel a cold atmosphere. It wasn’t a happy place. The partners weren’t happy, our drivers weren’t happy, and most of the race team wasn’t happy either, with a lot of conspiracy theories going around. Now we are a much more vibrant team. There was huge potential here. It was just about unlocking it, providing motivation, enthusiasm, and bringing a bit of fun back. When you race cars for a living, it is more fun to win than to lose, but ultimately it is a pretty fun job.”

“It was about putting everyone into a team-working environment and a culture that the entire leadership group has built – and of course Andrea [Stella] is the most visible for you – but my head of HR, our CFO, the commercial department, communications: they have all done an excellent job in their respective areas. When I arrived, there was a ‘us versus them’ mentality: upstairs versus downstairs, race team versus commercial. Now it is exciting to see that, in a weight-saving exercise, when you have to modify the livery of the car – however small that change may be – the commercial department gets excited about feeling part of the solution to make the car faster. When you can get 1,400 people rowing in the same direction – not all in F1, but the majority – and everyone understands how important their role is to on-track success, you create a fantastic environment. I would not be naive enough to say we do not have politics here, but we have very little of it.”

Zak Brown’s reflections therefore reveal that McLaren’s recent resurgence on the grid is the direct result of a human-centric approach to leadership. By replacing a “cold,” gray atmosphere with one of transparency and shared purpose, the team has successfully unlocked the latent potential that had been buried under years of internal friction. As McLaren continues to challenge for the podium positions in the 2026 Formula 1 season, it is clear that the “vibrant” environment fostered at Woking is now their most potent technical advantage.