McLaren F1 chief admits Mercedes deal was 'no-brainer'

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McLaren F1 chief admits Mercedes deal was 'no-brainer'

The two teams have extended their partnership

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 27 November 2023 12:57

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has given his thoughts on the team's renewed engine partnership with Mercedes, revealing that the deal was never in any doubt.

The Woking-based team will continue to use Mercedes power units until at least 2030, after a new contract was recently signed between the two teams.

McLaren have run Mercedes power since 2021, after switching from Renault to the manufacturer which had just won seven consecutive world championship titles.

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However, this original deal was set to expire at the end of 2025, but will now last into the new set of regulations which are due to come to the sport ahead of the 2026 season.

McLaren and Mercedes have announced that they will continue to share power units into the future

McLaren have enjoyed a stellar season on the track this season

New regulations are coming into play in 2026, with Audi confirmed to be joining the grid as an engine manufacturer and a team

Mercedes-McLaren dream team

Now, Brown has had his say on the continued partnership between the two teams.

“We were always going to continue with Mercedes," he told Sky Sports at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"Of course you do due diligence and see what everyone else is up to, to make a final decision. We’ve got a long history with Mercedes, we got back to our winning ways with Mercedes, they’ve done an outstanding job.

"We’ve got a really close collaboration and I think we'll be even closer now. It was pretty much a no-brainer but they just had to work through the details.

"We’re really happy to announce it and have a real focus for the team that we know what we’re doing moving forward.”

Mercedes McLaren Audi Zak Brown Renault 2021