F1 News
Brown still wary of Verstappen: "A difficult guy to beat"
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has highlighted how impressed he is with everyone involved with the British team after their fantastic start to the 2025 Formula 1 season while also showing some serious pace at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. However, he is still not discounting the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
At the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, Lando Norris took a fine win in the changeable and tricky conditions that Melbourne threw at him, starting the season off superbly for himself and for McLaren, who barely put a foot wrong. The only mistake came from Oscar Piastri, sliding off the track and dropping down from P2 to P9. It was the first time since 2012 that the British team took the opening race win of the season, showing that they are the team to beat.
"I think pressure is always on in Formula One every weekend, every session. It was a great start to the season. Clearly, the car is very fast. The team's done a great job. The drivers did a great job. I felt terrible for Oscar there, but towards the end, he made a strong recovery. But the conditions were tricky. It was a pretty stressful race with all the restarts," said Brown
"Then, you had Max in the game, which every time he can compete for the win, he is a difficult guy to beat," continued the American, with the Dutchman putting Norris under some pressure in the final few laps to finish within a second as they crossed the line. "But we did a great job, and I think it's going to continue to be very, very close."
Brown excited for McLaren in 2025
In China, after the first and only free practice session around the Shanghai International Circut due to the sprint weekend, it was Norris again who had the superior pace, finished five-tenths clear of the rest of the field to highlight that McLaren are the team to beat in the early stages of the season. But Brown is not worried, but more excited about being the leading team and having everyone else try to hunt them down.
"I don't think so. I can tell our drivers have great confidence coming off of a very strong season. They're in great shape. They're in a great frame of mind, as is the team. I would say the pit wall was outstanding given all the pressures, whether it was the drivers or the weather or the rain or the tyres or the restart. So I felt not only the drivers on top of their game, the team, everyone back at the factory and here at the circuit and the pit wall. I was very happy to see how they reacted to the constant pressure of a Grand Prix and the change of conditions," concluded the CEO.
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