Zak Brown's Unfiltered McLaren Christmas Speech Goes Viral

A video from McLaren's 2025 Christmas party has gone viral, showcasing CEO Zak Brown's hilarious and unfiltered speech, where he joked about his drivers' nicknames for him and their career paths, while Oscar Piastri took a playful jab at the team's infamous Las Vegas Grand Prix disqualification.

Why it matters:

This viral moment offers a rare, candid look at the team culture at the pinnacle of Formula 1. It highlights the strong, familial dynamic within McLaren—a team that has just secured another constructors' championship—and shows how a successful season allows for lighthearted reflection on past mistakes, turning a low point like a double DSQ into an inside joke.

The details:

The footage captures the celebratory atmosphere following McLaren's 2025 championship-winning season. Zak Brown took the stage with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, delivering a series of memorable one-liners.

• Brown joked about his relationship with the drivers, claiming, "Both drivers love me, idolise me... [They] call me 'Big Daddy' behind my back," prompting visible amusement from Norris.
• He contrasted his own role with that of Team Principal Andrea Stella, noting the drivers are "scared s***less of Andrea," to which Stella responded with a thumbs-up.
• Brown referenced the now-iconic moment from the FIA Prize Giving ceremony where FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem ruffled Norris's hair, telling Norris, "What I really want to do is mess up your hair right now."
• In a blunt assessment of their careers, Brown told Piastri, "You had f****** Alpine," and reminded Norris his initial benchmark was beating Stoffel Vandoorne, adding, "We took risks on both of you, and don't pretend you had better options."
• Oscar Piastri seized the mic for a moment of self-deprecating team humor, referencing their Las Vegas GP ordeal: "It's been pretty tiring at points. I think it's worn us pretty thin, not quite as thin as our planks in Las Vegas... We can laugh about it now!"

The big picture:

The viral speech underscores the confident and cohesive environment Zak Brown has fostered at McLaren. After rebuilding the team into a consistent front-runner and title winner, such moments of unfiltered celebration and camaraderie are a testament to that success. It transforms the team from a corporate entity into a group with a shared, sometimes painful, history they can now joke about, strengthening their collective identity as they head into the future.