'Early days' but Brown expecting strong title defense from McLaren

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says the early indications are that his team will be strong and competing that the front in Formula 1 under the 2026 regulations.

Lando Norris enters this year as the defending drivers’ champion, while McLaren won the constructors’ title last year to secure a championship double. However, with new regulations this season, Mercedes and George Russell have been installed as the early favorites with the bookmakers, but Brown is encouraged by the signs from the Barcelona shakedown.

“I think it's very early days,” Brown said. “I think very risky to judge. Spain… what I would say is we feel like we'll be competitive. The top four teams all seemed very competitive.

“So very early days, but indications that we will be strong. But I think it would be premature to make any predictions beyond an initial few days of testing. Obviously, things will start to become a little bit clearer over the next two weeks.”

Brown was speaking as McLaren unveiled its livery for the 2026 season in Bahrain, and he says the car’s similar color scheme – with just minor tweaks from 2025 as McLaren continues a “tradition of carrying championship-winning liveries through to the next season” – is akin to the continuity the team will enjoy off-track too.

“I think off-season development of the car has been good,” he said. “[It’s] exciting times, obviously very complicated new regulations in which we're still discovering the race car. Drivers had great off-seasons, they're in good shape, well prepared. We’ve got great partnerships on the commercial front, renewing what partners were up for renewal, and of course our first full season with MasterCard as our naming rights partner.

“Very little change at McLaren from a team point of view, that of course is by design. Will Courtenay has now started, so that'll be a face that most of you are familiar with, that is a new addition to the team. Otherwise the technical team – the pit wall, etc. – all the usual cast of characters as you know, will be the same cast of characters for this season.”

Pre-season testing in Bahrain gets underway on Wednesday of this week and Brown says the target for McLaren it still understanding the new car’s characteristics.

“Making the car go faster! Our first two days, we lacked some mileage,” he said. “We had some little niggles, nothing that was kind of like design flaw – like a ‘we got that wrong’ – just typical shakedown. A thing or two that needed to be fitted a little bit differently, including our driver, Oscar, one day when he first went out, he wasn't happy with the seating position. So exactly what you'd expect out of the shakedown.

“But I think we're more in understanding the car [mode] still, and then we'll attack the development from it. So I think it's too early. Formula 1 teams want to make everything better, so that's what we're working on.”