Over the last few months, McLaren has consistently been developing their car. This has allowed them to take 4th place in the Championship. Although they are over 70 points behind Ferrari in 3rd place, they have been finishing ahead of them in almost every race. Zak Brown believes that it is possible for the team to take the challenge to Red Bull for the Championship as well.
During an interview after the US Grand Prix, Zak Brown was asked about the chances of any team beating Red Bull in the remaining 4 races this season. To this, he replied:
“Oh, yeah. We’ll see if anyone can do it,” Brown notes. “They are human. They just did a fantastic job but we are closing the gap. Max [Verstappen] is driving unbelievably. They are an unbelievable team. But I think it is possible to beat them. We just have to do a better job and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Zak Brown has applauded his #McLaren team’s recovery having feared early on that “seventh or eighth place” would be the best they could achieve 😳
“I am very proud of the team. We just have to keep it up.”#F1 #Formula1 #USGP #MexicanGP pic.twitter.com/xXgjBkfR43
— McLaren F1 News 🏴🇦🇺 (@TheMcLarenZone) October 23, 2023
When the 2023 season first started, McLaren was the slowest team on the grid. Even during pre-season testing, Lando Norris was frustrated with the pace of the McLaren. However, halfway through the season, the team made some updates to the car which have proven to be better than expected.
During the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren installed an upgrade in Lando Norris’ car which allowed him to finish in the top 5. In the next race at Silverstone, the same upgrade was installed in Oscar Piastri’s car. During that race, Oscar finished in the top 5 while Lando was able to get a podium finish.
Since then, Lando and Oscar are consistently been fighting against Mercedes, Ferrari, and sometimes even Red Bull. This performance boost has also boosted the team’s confidence in their own abilities. Now they are aware that Red Bull is within reach. As a result, a Grand Prix win is also within reach.
McLaren has already proved that it is possible to beat Red Bull on track
Earlier this year in Qatar, McLaren once proved that Red Bull is in fact vulnerable. During the Sprint Race, despite starting in the front row, Max Verstappen was not able to get a clean start. This allowed Oscar Piastri to lead the race at the end of lap 1.
Max Verstappen was able to make his way to P2 with a few laps remaining. However, he was not able to get close to Oscar in the McLaren. The rookie Formula 1 driver took his 1st win in Formula 1 and McLaren’s 1st win this season.
🗣️ Zak Brown: “He’s [Oscar] not driving like a rookie. I think people forget, he sat out last year but I think he’s definitely showing every signs of being a potential future world champion.” 👊
[via: Friday Press Conference] #F1 #Formula1 #McLaren #USGP pic.twitter.com/pxMF9AqD1v
— McLaren F1 News 🏴🇦🇺 (@TheMcLarenZone) October 22, 2023
Even in the Qatar Grand Prix, despite starting in 6th position, Oscar Piastri was able to finish in 2nd just 4 seconds behind Max Verstappen. Lando Norris was also right behind. This has scared some key personnel in Red Bull. McLaren continues to make strides in their performances. They once again came close to winning the race in Austin but were beaten by Max and Lewis Hamilton.
In Singapore, Red Bull lost their only Grand Prix this season. Although the race was not won by a McLaren driver, it was still one to witness. Carlos Sainz took the victory, with Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton under a second behind. Max Verstappen only managed a 5th place finish. The reason for losing this race was simply because the layout of the Marina Bay Circuit did not suit the natural ability of the RB19. This was the only track where Red Bull looked weak.