Zak Brown agrees with Horner despite wearing 'favourite tag' in 2025
F1 News
McLaren could win their first constructors' title since 1998 in the previous season, and there seems to be unanimous agreement in the paddock that the Woking-based team will have the upper hand entering the '25 season as well. The 'papaya' team also looked strong, however, according to CEO Zak Brown, there is no clear favourite.
Brown cannot name a favourite for the world title
McLaren will enter the 2025 as the defending constructors' world champions. After claiming the crown in Abu Dhabi the previous year, CEO Zak Brown once again expects a close field. "We're excited for the new season. I think it's going to be remarkably close the entire field," the American began in Bahrain.
Similarly to one their rivals' team principal, Christian Horner, Brown also sees convergence on the field that can lead to exciting battles for the fans to enjoy this year. "I mean, if you look at Abu Dhabi and the lap time that separated all 10 teams, it's just as Christian said, it's going to just continue to converge," Brown continued.
While the McLaren CEO expressed great confidence in being able to retaining their world title, and the team and also Lando Norris do not mind living with the 'favourite tag', he also shied away from naming a clear favourite.
He explained that he expects the top four teams (McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes) to all fight for victories, with taking some outsiders into account as well. "I don't think there's a clear favorite. I would expect at least four teams to win races, eight drivers, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone else getting in the mix if not on a regular basis, certainly on a race by race basis. So I think it's going to be an exciting season."
This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden
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