Zak Brown’s Messed Up Restructuring Tipped to Delay McLaren’s F1 Revival With Their 5 Month Delay

As a sport, Formula 1 is very unique. It defines the word ‘speed’. Not only do the drivers need to be fast, but the men and women on the pit wall, too. And this isn’t just restricted to days on track. Even off the track, a successful Formula 1 team needs to be quick on their feet in all aspects of the sport, be it administrative or technical. A perfect example of this would be the rotten luck McLaren has suffered in 2023.

The Woking-based team was on the up this past few years under the stewardship of Zak Brown. But ironically, it is the same man who is supposedly to blame for the fact that McLaren has fallen further behind in the pecking order. At the start of the season when the team launched the MCL60, they admitted to a grave mistake. The car they wanted at the start of the season was delayed. Apparently, the team took a late developmental call that meant the actual spec car they wanted to run would only be ready by the Azerbaijan GP weekend.

Zak Brown’s leadership questioned in light of McLaren’s 2023 struggles

As things stand, the upgrades did arrive in Baku. And the first signs are promising. After a solid Qualifying performance and a decent race result, the team can be happy to know their ‘actual’ baseline. But the damage seems to have been done way back in the past by Brown himself.

In a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, the hosts deliberated on the dismissal of Technical Director, James Key. They said, “I wonder if that was the problem, whether there was a delay. James Key was asked to leave and why? Because he did have some influence [on the upgrades].”

“But reading between the lines, the decision to go down that route wasn’t taken until it was too late. So I think maybe that was the problem. This is where they should have started. They are four months – five months behind where they should be.”  

Read More: Despite McLaren’s Step Up, Lando Norris Blames Stubborn Alpine’s Strategy for an “Unlucky” Race in Baku

Only 4 races into the 2023 season, McLaren seem to have rectified there past mistakes. But is it enough?

Lando Norris gives his verdict on McLaren upgrades

In Baku, we saw a rejuvenated McLaren. Even though they did not looking supremely pacey, yet, the potential was palpable. But while we see the laptimes, their star driver, Lando Norris has a better vantage point from inside the cockpit to explain the progress made by the team.

He told Formula1.com, “[It] doesn’t feel any different inside the car but it is a step forward. I’m just being honest with it. Everyone will probably say ‘yeah it felt mega’ but you don’t feel it. It’s such a small amount in every corner, the oversteer is a little bit less.”

“It’s a step forward in terms of like efficiency, also a little bit. We weren’t expecting a bit step, and like we said Baku was not the track where we will show its potential. Miami we will maybe understand a bit more, and some of the high-speed corners, because that was more where it was aimed at.”

WATCH THIS STORY: How Aston Martin F1 Turned Around From a Struggling Mid-Field Team to Being the 2nd Fastest in 2023

Can McLaren catch up to Aston Martin and Ferrari by the end of the season?