McLaren remained silent during the protracted saga surrounding Oscar Piastri, Alpine, and Daniel Ricciardo. Now the dust has settled, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown spoke at length with Mat Coch, Speedcafe.com’s Formula 1 Editor in conjunction with RacingNews365 on a range of topics for a series of articles set to be published over the coming days.
Zak Brown is relaxed as we sit and chat, his left arm stretched out on the back of the seat next to him. Every so often he glances out of the window as in the background the hum of racing engines fills the air. He’s relaxed, confident, and seemingly as open as anyone in his position can be.
As the CEO of McLaren Racing, there are some cards that won’t go on the table, some answers that are rehearsed, and some questions he works hard to pivot back to the message his media team has no doubt crafted for him. Brown is a pro. A successful businessman in his own right, he has a passion for racing cars and a collection of them that is the envy of many. He let Daniel Ricciardo drive one of them, an ex-Dale Earnhardt NASCAR, at last year’s United States Grand Prix.
Ricciardo is naturally a key topic of our discussion. The Australian will leave McLaren at the end of the season, a year earlier than contracted after both parties mutually agreed to an early end to their relationship. A seven-time grand prix winner when he joined the Woking squad, it’s just never gelled as hoped for Ricciardo and McLaren. Aside from victory at the Italian Grand Prix, there have been precious few highlights in a frustrating partnership that promised much. Now, the 33-year-old is set to exit the sport, temporarily he claims, but with the very real risk it will become permanent. Brown is a key player in Ricciardo’s career. Involved in his recruiting in the first instance, Brown was also involved in the mutual separation.
“I think like everyone, [I’m] bummed he won’t be on the grid because he’s great for the sport and he wants to race,” Brown begins. He’d recruited Ricciardo with the intent that the Australian would lead the team as its rebuilding phase sees it make the difficult transition from midfield to front runner. Who better to spearhead that than a man many believe capable of being world champion? Ricciardo knows how a top-tier team operates, he knows how to win races, and he’s commercial gold dust.
While unquestionably Ricciardo’s boss, it’s clear Brown has developed a relationship outside of ‘work’. It makes his apparent demise all the more painful given the American has gone from the precipice of greatness with the West Australian to experiencing firsthand the searing disappointment in his struggles since joining the team in 2021. Now, it seems, he’s gone from launching a world championship attack with Ricciardo to signing terms that could end his career. “He probably could have driven for Williams or Haas is my guess, sort of speculating that he doesn’t want to drive for a team that’s ninth or 10th in the championship, which I understand given his pedigree,” Brown reasons. “But hopefully, he’ll come back in ’24, which I think is what he said he wants.”
As he speaks, Brown glances out of the window as if contemplating his answers but also seemingly reflecting on the last two years with Ricciardo. He’s a difficult person to dislike, with an infectious smile and cheeky persona that is enormously marketable. His value is greater than just his ability to drive a racing car, and yet that was not enough to overcome the on-track difficulties he’s faced. One gets the impression that has also taken a toll on Brown as the smile, evident as we sat down, disappears. He is pragmatic and reflective, but even still he never fully lets his guard down, careful to protect his driver as much as himself and his team.
“You’ve got to deal with this in the way you think is in the best interest of the team,” he admits. “It wasn’t an easy decision, it wasn’t an overnight decision. It was something we spoke with him about for many months because ultimately, I don’t think either of us for the results that we’d hoped for and we felt we’d given sufficient time, both sides, and then ultimately came to the conclusion that, for whatever reason, it wasn’t working and, and that we needed to make a change. It was very difficult because as a mate, he’s a great guy, but at the end of the day, we can’t make decisions on who’s a mate, who’s not a mate.”
Ricciardo’s place within McLaren is set to be filled by Oscar Piastri. The 21-year-old is one of the brightest young talents of his generation, winning Formula Renault, Formula 3, and Formula 2 in successive years. He’s been benched throughout 2022, current employer Alpine unable to find him a race drive. Having grown impatient, and perhaps having seen the writing on the wall for his countryman, he seized the opportunity at McLaren. It was a move that prompted anger and confusion from many, though not Ricciardo.
“He’s been awesome,” Brown said. “From Day 1 to today, the way that he’s conducted himself, the maturity that he’s shown in our conversations, the way he’s handled the media and the team relationship; he’s never placed blame, which I think a lot of drivers would do. You’ve just got to recognise that it wasn’t working and we respected our desire to make a change, and we came to a very amicable, friendly solution.”
Ricciardo’s future is unknown beyond the certainty that he won’t be racing in Formula 1 next season. After making his debut with HRT in 2011, he quickly emerged as one of the bright young stars, earning a promotion to the senior Red Bull team in 2014 when Mark Webber retired. Now, the bright flame with which his career once burned looks to have been extinguished, almost as quickly as it was lit a decade ago.
Through it all there have been no public outbursts, no word out of turn, just an acceptance of the situation, if not even a resignation of his fate. After all, Ricciardo didn’t have to agree to the early termination of his contract – had it not been done, it would have left the team in an awkward position with Piastri. His demeanour throughout has been exceptional, the perfect example of a professional dealing with a crisis but doing that which needs to be done. “He’s awesome as a person and as a team-mate,” Brown agrees. “He’s a total pro, and he gets it, you know. He’s very mature. And I think that’s why he’s so popular. He’s a great guy.
“I will cheer for him in the last four races as much as ever because we need him and Lando [Norris] to deliver. It’s a close fight for fourth [in the constructors’ championship]. I think it’s great he [Daniel] spoke with Oscar and I think he’s very mature and understands the situation and handled it really well.”
And the feeling is that Brown will cheer for Daniel, and remains determined to see his driver succeed, even in whatever limited time they have left working together. There is genuine affection there, a relationship that has surpassed employer-employee to the point where there is a friendship. But this is business, and Formula 1 is brutal. Even still, one gets the feel Brown will be among the first to start celebrations, and quite possibly among the last left standing come Monday morning following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Part 2 of the interview with Brown will be published tomorrow morning, where he discusses loyalty in Formula 1, the signing of Oscar Piastri, and the lessons learned from the saga that enveloped it.
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