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Zak Brown and McLaren didn’t get off to the best start this season, as they look to close the gap in their title defence.
McLaren had a strong weekend at Miami, with a one-two finish during the sprint race and a two-three finish at the Miami Grand Prix.
Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri looked competitive during the weekend and managed to compete with both Mercedes drivers.
McLaren record a double podium behind Kimi Antonelli! When will their first win of 2026 come?
McLaren’s performance stunned Mercedes, who didn’t expect them to take such a drastic leap over the unplanned season hiatus.
McLaren need to do a lot of work to overcome their poor start to the season. But Zak Brown believes the team can still compete for championships on both fronts.
READ MORE: Lando Norris’ ‘dead cool’ team radio in Kimi Antonelli duel at Miami GP impresses James Hinchcliffe
Zak Brown’s verdict on McLaren’s championship hopes can ‘scare’ their rivals this season
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Lawrence Barretto revealed what Zak Brown told him before a Q&A session he conducted with the McLaren CEO in Miami.
He asked Brown about his confidence in McLaren’s potential to compete for both championships despite their poor start. Ever the confident team boss, Brown claimed that the team were still in the running.
“I did a Q&A with Zak just ahead of the weekend. Just before we went on stage, I just asked him, ‘Do you think you can fight for both championships?’
“He was like, ‘Yeah, I definitely think we can.’ Zak doesn’t tend to do that when you’re just having a chat with him, unless he genuinely believes that they can get in that fight.
“I think that belief echoes right through McLaren at the minute. When you’ve got that, it’s an incredible strength of yours to be able to have to come to a track, because it’s going to scare everyone else.
READ MORE: Oscar Piastri criticises ‘random’ 2026 F1 racing after his first ‘proper’ battles at Miami GP
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McLaren’s history of improving during the season will unnerve rivals
Speaking further on the podcast, Barretto pointed to McLaren’s history of developing well in the middle of the season as a reason for their confidence.
“Every time you tell them they’re bringing a big upgrade, you’ve already won slightly because everyone else is like, ‘Uh oh.’ I think there is a gap. Of course there is.
“But I think we’ve really seen so far in McLaren’s dominant period that they can turn things around, and I think they can just once more.”
After the Miami Grand Prix, Lando Norris hinted McLaren had closed the gap to Mercedes, given how competitive they were.
While McLaren’s bizarre performance during qualifying may have shaken their confidence, there is no denying they had an excellent weekend in Florida.
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