Zak Brown plays down McLaren engine project and backs Mercedes partnership. Zak Brown: McLaren’s future remains tied to Mercedes despite engine speculation.

New rules, but still a customer team

Speculation surrounding a potential future engine regulation change, which could see the much-discussed V8 engines return to Formula 1 from 2030 or 2031 onwards, has inevitably sparked questions about the long-term plans of several teams.

One of the names frequently mentioned in these discussions is McLaren. The reigning Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Champion team is one of the most historic brands in Formula 1, and some have suggested that it could eventually follow the path taken by Red Bull and become a full power unit manufacturer rather than continue as a Mercedes customer team.

Red Bull made that transition ahead of the current regulatory cycle, launching its own power unit project and becoming increasingly independent from external engine suppliers. Given McLaren’s recent resurgence and growing success, some observers have wondered whether the Woking-based outfit could pursue a similar strategy in the future.

However, speaking to journalists in Monaco during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, McLaren CEO Zak Brown significantly cooled speculation regarding a potential in-house McLaren engine programme for the next generation of Formula 1 regulations.

The American executive, who has overseen McLaren’s remarkable return to the front of the grid after years of struggles and rebuilding, did not completely rule out the possibility of producing a McLaren-branded power unit at some point in the future. Nevertheless, he made it clear that such a project is not currently a priority for the team’s ownership.

Zak Brown’s comments

“First of all, I’m very happy with Mercedes HPP,” Zak Brown said, effectively putting an end to many of the rumours and tensions that had emerged earlier this season.

At the start of the campaign, there had been suggestions that Mercedes had not fully supported McLaren in understanding every aspect of the power unit package, creating speculation about the strength of the relationship between the two organizations.

Zak Brown, however, emphasized that Mercedes has been an outstanding partner and highlighted the success the two companies have achieved together.

“They’ve been an exceptional partner. We’ve won a couple of championships together with them, even though everyone said you couldn’t win a championship as a customer team. We proved that it is possible,” he stated.

The McLaren CEO then reaffirmed that continuing the partnership with Mercedes remains the team’s primary objective moving forward.

“I think the number one priority is to stay with Mercedes. I believe they’ve been a fantastic partner so far,” Zak Brown explained.

Looking further ahead, Brown acknowledged that any future regulatory changes would naturally be evaluated by the team, both from a technical and financial standpoint.

“Whenever a new set of regulations comes out, we’ll examine it to see whether it’s something that is interesting from a technical perspective and whether it makes sense economically. I think we’ll go through that process when the time comes,” he added.

For now, though, McLaren sees no reason to move away from a partnership that has helped deliver championship success and return the team to the top of Formula 1.

“At the moment, we’re extremely happy with Mercedes and expect to continue with them,” Zak Brown concluded.

Those comments suggest that, despite ongoing discussions about the future direction of Formula 1 engine regulations and the possibility of new power unit concepts beyond 2030, McLaren’s immediate future remains closely linked to Mercedes. While the door has not been completely closed on the idea of a factory McLaren engine one day, the team’s focus remains firmly on building upon its current success with its long-standing German partner.