Zak Brown’s Ten Years at McLaren: From Dark Days to Championship Dominance

When Zak Brown took over McLaren in late 2016 the team was mired in low morale and poor performance. A decade later the silverware‑laden outfit is champions again, thanks to a cultural overhaul as much as faster cars.

Why it matters:

Brown’s cultural reset has ripple effects beyond McLaren: it challenges the perception that only technical upgrades win races, demonstrates the power of unified leadership, and re‑energises a sport dominated by a few top teams.

The details:

• Brown swapped the gloomy office palette for a brighter brand identity and open‑door communication, instantly lifting morale.
• He tore down silos; finance, commercial and engineering now celebrate each other's wins, turning every weight‑saving idea into a shared victory.
• Andrea Stella and a revamped people‑operations team aligned recruiting, performance incentives and team‑building, ensuring talent feels valued.
• A renewed focus on fun and purpose gave drivers confidence, culminating in Lando Norris’s drivers’ title and the constructors’ championship.

What's next:

McLaren now aims to sustain its momentum by expanding its hybrid power‑unit development and targeting a consistent podium presence. Brown says the next challenge is to keep the culture alive as the grid evolves with new regulations.