Brown states why 'super strong' Mercedes could become a threat for McLaren
F1 News
McLaren have put the pressure on Red Bull this season, as they narrow the gap between themselves and the top Constructor. Despite finishing fourth last season, the British team sits second in the standings. Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, McLaren racing CEO Zak Brown has revealed how satisfying it would be for the team to end the Austrian team's reign, and hold off the threat from other teams.
McLaren have not won the Constructors' since 1998, with their last Drivers' championship being achieved in 2008 by Lewis Hamilton. Neverthless, they now sit 42 points behind Red Bull in the standings. Their drivers, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri sit in second and fourth in the Drivers' championship, with Brown believing they both have the potential to win. On the podcast, Brown relinquished the team's goal for the final ten races of the season: "We want to beat all nine teams," he said. "Ferrari is not far behind us, so I think you can't rule them out. Mercedes is on pace, won the last three of the last four races."
Is Mercedes becoming a threat for McLaren?
It has been an excellent season for McLaren, with both of their drivers sealing their first F1 wins - Norris in Miami, and Piastri in Hungary. The team have also been on the podium consistently since the Chinese Grand Prix. With Mercedes now entering the mix, creating a four-way title battle, the competition is becoming tougher. "Fortunately, we've got about a hundred point gap there. We might need every one of those points if they continue on the path they're on," Brown explained. "I expect them to be super strong in the second half of the year. So, I'm glad we got a little bit of a cushion."
After a long period of Mercedes domination, followed by Red Bull in more recent years, Brown hopes that this is the team's chance to put an end to that. "It's just very rewarding to have McLaren back again where it should be, which is, with the Red Bulls, with the Ferraris, with the Mercedes, because when I grew up racing, it was always kind of Ferrari, McLaren and Williams then. So, I think we're back where people expect us to be. And now we just got to work hard to make sure we maintain and go a little bit more forward," he concluded.