Zak Brown makes race win ‘guarantee’ to McLaren staff in factory speech after China no-show

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Zak Brown is certain that McLaren will win ‘sooner rather than later’ despite their low-scoring start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. For the first time in 20 years, neither car made the starting grid in China last weekend.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished fourth and sixth in the Shanghai Sprint, but were stuck in the garage when the main race got underway on Sunday after encountering separate issues. Piastri didn’t start in Australia either, though that was down to driver error as he crashed on the warm-up lap.

The result is that the defending champions have only scored 18 points in two weekends, which already puts them 80 points behind engine suppliers Mercedes. They haven’t been able to optimise their best-in-class power unit and are believed to be lacking in the chassis department too.

‘We are going to be winning Grand Prix races’ – Zak Brown

Brown, Norris, Piastri and Andrea Stella addressed staff at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking on Thursday.

The team shared a clip of Brown’s rousing speech on social media. He reminded them that they are the ‘best in the world’ in all departments, even if Mercedes and Ferrari are currently ahead.

McLaren’s rate of development has blown rivals away in the past, and Brown is adamant that they can quickly wipe out the gap to the front, which currently stands at around six to seven tenths of a second.

“We got to get ready for Japan,” said Brown. “We’ve got the two best drivers in the world, we’ve got the best racing team in the world, we’ve got the best culture in a racing team.

“Let’s just get on with it, go to Japan, race these cars. We’ll all continue to do what we do and I’m looking forward to when we win races.

“I guarantee you, when we win races, which will be sooner rather than later, we’re not going to be thinking about speed traces or batteries or anything, we’re going to be winning Grand Prix races.”

Oscar Piastri’s incredible deficit to George Russell just two races into the season

Guenther Steiner says McLaren needed a ‘wake-up call’ in China, suggesting that complacency has crept in after their back-to-back title wins.

With his own championship defence already stalling, David Coulthard says Norris is ‘simmering’. The Briton has been critical of the new regulations.

On the other side of the garage, Damon Hill says Piastri has made the depressing realisation that he won’t win the title this year. He entered the year with added motivation after his 2025 heartbreak, but making up the 48-point deficit may be too big an ask.

McLaren scored regular podiums in the second half of 2023 after starting the year near the back of the pack, which will no doubt be a source of inspiration right now.