Brown: "I don't think we have a chance at the championship this year"

Daniel Ricciardo ended the drought at McLaren in Monza by winning a Grand Prix for the team for the first time in nine years. The last win dated back to the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012 by Jenson Button. However, according to team boss Zak Brown, we should not have great expectations for next season.

Brown realistic about chances

After several years in the midfield, or even behind it, McLaren finished third in the championship in 2020. Last season, the team finished fourth but was on the podium more often than not. In Monza, Ricciardo and Lando Norris even scored a double victory for the team. Brown loved that win, but is also realistic for next season.

"We have to be careful not to create unrealistic expectations," he says in an interview with Gulf Business. The McLaren team boss obviously hopes to move further up to the top of the field, but also knows that McLaren still has a few years of technical catch-up work ahead of it to catch up with Mercedes and Red Bull.

McLaren catching up

The team is working on improving its technical infrastructure, including the wind tunnel. Brown believes he will have an infrastructure equivalent to the top teams by 2024. "I don't think we have a chance of winning the championship this year," Brown therefore remains realistic about the upcoming season.

Still, with the new regulations, it will remain exciting which teams do so best. Indeed, according to Brown, the teams are facing the biggest rule change in modern Formula 1. "It's a unique situation and an exciting challenge for the design team and the engineers," he said.