McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says it could be boastful for his workforce to view itself as favourite for both championship in 2025, given how aggressive this years was.
Max Verstappen gained a fourth consecutive drivers’ championship however McLaren gained the constructors’ title because it held off Ferrari by 14 factors in Abu Dhabi. Pink Bull slipped to 3rd within the workforce standings forward of Mercedes in fourth, with the highest 4 groups all scoring a number of race victories, and Brown says that degree of opposition means no person can single themselves out as the favourite heading into subsequent season.
“I feel favorites can be boastful,” Brown stated. “I see no purpose why we are able to’t be one of many favorites. You’ve obtained 4 groups which can be profitable races frequently, so I don’t see how one can put anyone as a favourite going into subsequent yr.
“However we’re positively [one of them], in contrast to this yr… To (McLaren technical director of aerodynamics) Pete Prodromou’s credit score, he got here into this yr considering we might win the world championship. I wasn’t there. I’m there now, that subsequent yr, we’re going to attempt to win the constructors’ and drivers’ world championship.
“That’s the mindset of everybody else, however I do know there’s not less than three different groups, and possibly a shock, however not less than three different groups that may have that very same mindset, and I feel have pretty much as good an opportunity as anybody.”
Nevertheless, Brown believes each drivers have proven they’ve the potential to problem for a championship in 2025, after each grew to become race-winners for the primary time – Lando Norris profitable 4 races and Oscar Piastri two.
“Each race weekend, you watch System 1’s finest driver pairing, Lando and Oscar, get behind the wheel of the MCL38 and put in a shift for this workforce. Most of the time this yr, that’s been on the entrance of the sphere, with six grand prix wins, 21 podiums, and eight pole positions, together with a run of 14 consecutive podiums, the second-longest streak in our historical past.
“Our drivers have achieved us proud. Lando pushed Max laborious within the drivers’ championship and is the primary driver to complete second for us since Jenson (Button) in 2011. And in solely his second season, Oscar has grow to be the primary McLaren driver to complete as excessive as fourth for us since Lewis (Hamilton) in 2012. On and off observe, each made big strides this yr, displaying they’ve obtained what it takes to problem for the championship.”
