On December 17, 2024, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown shared the key components contributing to McLaren’s Formula 1 World Constructors Championship. Udemy CEO Greg Brown interviewed the McLaren leader on a Business Zoom call entitled Champions of Innovation: A Year-End Conversation with Zak Brown.
Why this win this year matters so much
McLaren has been a powerhouse F1 team in the past, but it has not won the Constructors’ Championship since 1998. Udemy, a new McLaren Racing F! partner, is an online adult learning platform. Today’s interview, which the moderator claimed had more than 4,000 viewers, was a chance for Udemy to bring the hottest story in motorsports to McLaren fans. The interview focused on team management and the factors Zak Brown believes were most important in the F1 2024 season.
The key components to McLaren’s 2024 F1 success
The F1 World Constructors’ Championship is the moneymaker for Formula 1 teams. All ten teams get a payout based on several factors, including years of participation and special contributions to the sport. The Constructors’ Championship is determined by adding up the Driver Championship points earned by both drivers during the season.
When Zak Brown addressed the question of what led to McLaren’s 2024 triumph, he listed the following, all of which relate to what Brown referred to as McLaren’s Team Culture for the entire organization:
Two great drivers: Lando Norris finished the season with the second-highest number of Drivers’ Championship points, and Oscar Piastri had the fourth-highest point total. Two such strong drivers just needed a great car.
The race car – The McLaren team made incremental changes throughout the season. F1 racing is based on extremely slim time margins between the first and last of the twenty drivers who start each Grand Prix. The continued effort to find the little things that could help, often aerodynamic adjustments, helped McLaren’s race car remain competitive.
Time management: Brown discussed the extreme pressure on the entire team to deliver for 24 Grand Prix during the season. He believed managing time was one of the team’s strengths.
The communications department – Brown called out the team’s communications with fans as another major contributor to success because fan participation isn’t just about the money fans spend to watch races and buy McLaren race-related merchandise. It also encourages and supports the whole team.
