McLaren in contact with MAJOR rival over huge potential deal

Zak Brown has revealed a meeting with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 12 July 2024 17:00

A McLaren Formula 1 star has revealed a meeting he had with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner surrounding a potential partnership.

Zak Brown has been the CEO of McLaren Racing since 2018, overseeing their development from a midfield team to consistently challenging for race victories.

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Lando Norris claimed his first ever race victory earlier this season and has become Max Verstappen's closest challenger in the drivers' championship standings.

Although clearly the most likely team to win the constructors' championship, Red Bull's dominance over teams like McLaren seems to have dissipated for now, with Brown seeing drivers Norris and Oscar Piastri regularly on the podium.

Lando Norris won his first ever race in Miami

Potential McLaren-Red Bull partnership?

However, 2026 sees a unique overhaul of the sport's rules, with power units becoming more environmentally friendly and featuring an increased reliance on battery power.

2026 is also the year that Red Bull will ditch their partnership with Honda, and instead produce their own power units, with the help of Ford.

Now, Auto Motor und Sport are reporting that Brown has stayed in 'regular contact' with Red Bull over a potential potential future power unit deal with the world champions, despite his frosty relationship with Horner.

The German publication also reported Brown as admitting he had held a meeting at the world champions' Milton Keynes-based HQ, before McLaren's current deal with Mercedes was signed.

"I have a great relationship with Jim Farley [Ford CEO]," Brown said, as quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

"We met last year and then visited the factory. That was before we decided to extend our contract with Mercedes."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Zak Brown