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McLaren surprised by Red Bull engine

by sports••0
McLaren surprised by Red Bull engine
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has singled out the Red Bull Ford engine as the most surprising of the teams from the shakedown in Barcelona.

“I would say the Red Bull engine, the Ford engine.”

– Zak Brown

Speaking at a media briefing that included GPblog, the 54-year-old singled out the Red Bull Ford engine for praise, describing how quick and reliable the engine proved.
“I would say the Red Bull engine, the Ford engine, seem very, very strong, so hats off to them. Not only did it seem to be very quick, but also very reliable, and I would say the reliability in general seemed to be very strong for very sophisticated, new, kind of immature regulations that will develop over time,” Brown said.
The McLaren boss continued by highlighting how impressed he was with the mileage several teams were able to rack up, before again lauding the Red Bull engine.

McLaren CEO, Zak Brown – Photo: Race Pictures

“I think the amount of running everyone got in was impressive. So I think those are the things that stood out: the Ford engine and the general reliability on what are very sophisticated new rules,” he concluded.

Brown rates McLaren’s chances of winning in 2026

Brown would, however, opt to temper expectations when asked about the possibility of his team winning the championship as it did through the 2025 campaign.

“I think it’s very early days, I think very risky to judge,” Brown said.

The McLaren chief, however, expressed confidence that indications regarding expectations will become clearer in the coming weeks.

“What I would say is we feel like we’ll be competitive. The top 4 teams all seemed very competitive, so very early days, but there are indications that we will be strong. 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,” he added.

Brown reveals changes between McLaren drivers

Brown also detailed what he considered the differences between both McLaren drivers—Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The American motorsports chief praised the consistency of both drivers and the feats they achieved, respectively.

“No, their demeanour, they’re very consistent. I think that’s one of their many strengths, you know, I think Oscar was a 3rd place away, over a 24-race season, from being world champion.”

“So I think when the margins are that thin, you know, it was only his 3rd year. I spoke with him a lot over the winter. He’s a very focused individual.”

norris-and-piastri-qatar-jpg

Photo: Race Pictures

Brown also noted how Norris celebrated his drivers’ championship triumph before admitting he expects both drivers to pick up where they left off.

“Lando threw a nice championship celebration dinner, from everyone they started with, from karting on up, which was quite nice. A lot of people I hadn’t met before, and kind of even heard a story.”

“So, I think they’re going to pick up where they left off, excited, as determined as ever, so I’m excited,” he concluded.