McLaren has no immediate intention of following Red Bull down the path of developing its own Formula 1 power unit. Despite internal discussions and the disadvantages associated with customer status, Zak Brown believes the benefits of McLaren’s partnership with Mercedes currently outweigh the risks involved in launching an independent engine programme.
The McLaren Racing CEO has acknowledged that Formula 1’s new power-unit regulations initially gave manufacturers an advantage over their customers, but he believes that gap has already narrowed significantly since the opening race in Australia.
Zak Brown admits Mercedes initially held an information advantage
According to Zak Brown, the completely new generation of Formula 1 power units inevitably gave Mercedes an early advantage in understanding how to exploit the technology.
“With engines that are so different compared with the past, it’s understandable that Mercedes initially had a little more information. They are the ones investing huge amounts of money in development. That margin, however, has already reduced considerably compared with Australia.”
The situation highlighted some of the disadvantages associated with competing as a customer team under an entirely new technical framework. However, McLaren does not believe those issues outweigh the wider benefits of its relationship with Mercedes.
The team remains committed to its current supplier, with McLaren’s position also reflected in the continuing relationship between two of Formula 1’s most prominent operations, covered across the McLaren and Mercedes sections.
McLaren remains highly satisfied with Mercedes and HPP
Zak Brown stressed that McLaren’s relationship with Mercedes and Mercedes High Performance Powertrains remains extremely strong.
“The collaboration with Mercedes and HPP is excellent. In the short term, being a customer can represent a limitation, but when you look across a five-year cycle, the difference becomes much less significant.”
That longer-term perspective is one of the main reasons McLaren is not rushing to become an engine manufacturer itself.
Developing a Formula 1 power unit requires an enormous commitment in terms of money, personnel, facilities and technical risk. For Zak Brown, the potential benefits of gaining complete control over the engine programme do not yet justify that level of investment.
Zak Brown questions the risk and reward of a McLaren power unit
The key consideration for McLaren is whether building an engine internally would actually provide enough competitive benefit compared with continuing to use Mercedes power.
“With a Mercedes power unit we can quickly get to a very similar level. You therefore have to assess the risks and benefits very carefully.”
For now, the calculation favours remaining a customer rather than attempting to replicate the route taken by Red Bull, which committed to establishing its own power-unit operation.
McLaren accepts that being a customer can create certain disadvantages, particularly during the early stages of a major regulation change when the manufacturer possesses greater accumulated knowledge of its own technology. Brown’s view, however, is that those differences become less significant as the regulation cycle matures.
McLaren-built F1 engine appears unlikely even for 2030
Even 2030 appears too soon for McLaren to seriously consider introducing an internally developed Formula 1 power unit.
“Our own engine? I see it as more realistic in ten years than in five. If the next cycle already starts in 2030, we wouldn’t have enough time to develop everything internally.”
The priority at Woking therefore remains unchanged: continue working with Mercedes rather than embarking on an expensive and technically demanding independent engine programme.
McLaren already has an agreement with Mercedes that runs until the end of 2030, giving the team stability while Formula 1 moves through the current generation of power-unit regulations.
Zak Brown has not dismissed the concept of McLaren eventually producing its own engine, but his timeframe makes clear that such a move is viewed as a potential long-term project rather than an immediate strategic objective. For now, McLaren believes remaining with Mercedes offers the stronger balance between competitiveness, cost and risk.
Leave a Reply