With McLaren Unable to Extract Performance With $135,000,000 Ceiling, Zak Brown Points Out the Change Areas for the FIA

Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport with one of the most advanced cars known to man. However, environmental impact wasn’t a factor during the development of these technologically advanced cars. However, this scenario has changed since the 2021 season after the introduction of the cost cap and the regulations in 2022. The sport will put more emphasis on the environmental impact of the sport starting from the 2026 season.

However, this practice is not sustainable as there is a major flaw in the sport’s desire to become sustainable and a team’s desire to stay competitive. The McLaren CEO revealed that in their recent findings and released an official statement as quoted by Speedcafe.com.

“We strongly believe in the cost cap and wouldn’t want to see anything that undermines its integrity, but current regulations have created some unintended barriers when it comes to investing in sustainability,” revealed Brown.

“But to unlock our sport’s potential to drive the development of more sustainable technologies that can spark positive changes on a global scale, we need a genuine step change. That requires a level playing field so teams can work towards achieving the same targets and no longer need to choose between investing in car performance and investing in sustainability,” he added.

Read More: Lando Norris Slags off McLaren’s Dismal Standards While Revealing Behind-the-Scene Secrets

This ever-reducing and currently standing $135 million cost cap is one of many reasons behind McLaren’s poor performance. Lando Norris revealed a few as well t in a recent interview. However, according to Zak Brown, there the reasons are completely different from their star driver.

Zak Brown reveals the reason why McLaren could not keep up with their biggest rival after the regulatory changes

The Papaya team went from fighting Ferrari for the third spot to barely winning the battle in the midfield. A lot of speculation has been made about McLaren’s sudden and shocking change in grid standing. However, Brown has a simple explanation for the team’s abysmal state.

“They had all the tools to produce the car that they then brought to the track, starting from the wind tunnel,” said Brown. “We had the budget, we had a very good driver line-up, even if we had difficulties with Daniel, but we don’t have the infrastructure, as our simulator and wind tunnel will come into operation in the near future.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Will F1 see a McLaren-Honda Reunion Again in 2026? 

These could be valid reasons behind the team’s current poor state. However, the fans still see them as general excuses and will only stop their criticism of the team once they see results on the track. Until then, the Papaya team will have to outdo themselves to keep the fans happy and collect as many points as they can.