McLaren CEO Zak Brown has officially apologized to Nico Hulkenberg following the chaotic Sprint Race at the 2025 United States Grand Prix in Austin. After initially blaming the German driver for the double retirement of the two McLaren cars, Brown personally reached out to clear the air and acknowledge that his earlier comments were made in the heat of the moment.
The incident unfolded on the opening lap, when Oscar Piastri tried to counterattack Lando Norris at Turn 1 while fighting for second place. In the middle of that maneuver, Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber found itself squeezed between the two McLarens and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, triggering a chain-reaction collision that eliminated both McLaren drivers instantly.
Brown retracts comments toward Nico Hulkenberg: “It was a heated reaction, but I was wrong”
Immediately after the Sprint Race, Zak Brown had described Nico Hulkenberg’s move as “an amateurish maneuver,” claiming the German driver “had no reason to be there.” However, after reviewing the footage and discussing the matter with his team, Brown contacted Sauber directly to apologize and clarify his comments.
“Zak sent me an apology message very quickly afterward,” explained Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley. “He apologized personally to Nico. This is a sport full of passion — when you have two cars fighting for the championship and lose them both in the first corner, it’s easy to react on instinct.”
Wheatley added that there was no lingering tension between the two teams: “I’ve known Zak for a long time, he’s a real racer. It was simply an emotional reaction. We spoke afterward and everything was resolved.”
Hulkenberg turns from “victim” to standout performer
The first-lap chaos didn’t derail Nico Hulkenberg’s entire weekend. After finishing the Sprint Race in 13th place, the German driver bounced back impressively in Sunday’s main event, securing an excellent eighth-place finish and scoring points for the first time since his podium at Silverstone. Thanks to that result, Nico Hulkenberg now climbs to ninth in the Drivers’ Championship, moving ahead of Isack Hadjar.
“We definitely had a bit of a ‘Hulkenberg effect’ this weekend,” Wheatley said with a smile. “He was flawless from the first lap of practice to the checkered flag. Anyone who criticized him should look at this weekend as proof of his quality and consistency.”
Verstappen dominates and reignites the title fight
While much of the attention focused on McLaren’s internal chaos, the real star of the Austin weekend was Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver dominated both races, taking a commanding double victory and reigniting the battle for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship. After a difficult period, Verstappen now sits third in the standings, just 40 points behind leader Oscar Piastri — a gap that had exceeded one hundred points only five races ago.
“You can never write off Max Verstappen,” commented Wheatley, who previously worked as Red Bull’s sporting director. “He’s arguably the best driver in the world, and Red Bull remains an exceptional team. Their recent updates have brought clear performance gains, and if I were McLaren, I’d start looking over my shoulder.”
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