In a recent interview, McLaren CEO Zak Brown revealed that his team has been handed an unexpected opportunity to compete with Red Bull for the Formula 1 constructors’ title, courtesy of Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles. (Formula 1 News, June 2023)
With Lando Norris consistently pressurizing Max Verstappen for race wins, McLaren has continued its resurgence from last season, joining Red Bull at the top of the pecking order. Moreover, victories from Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton have also taken points away from Verstappen, who further lost out due to his retirement at the Australian Grand Prix. (Formula 1 standings)
While Verstappen has demonstrated remarkable consistency, his teammate Perez has struggled, mirroring his mid-season slump from last year with a similar drop-off in form this campaign. The Mexican driver has failed to finish in the top five since the Miami Grand Prix, with a seventh and two eighths being his only points-scoring finishes in the six races since. His tribulations have allowed McLaren to close the gap to 78 points in the race for the title.
“I think it’s going to be dependent upon Perez at the end of the day. You’ve just got to assume Max is going to be first, second or third at every race the balance of the year – probably more firsts than thirds.” (Formula 1 news, Formula 1 today)
Brown believes that Perez’s underperformance is opening a window for McLaren, adding, “I think if we have the same points gained we’ve had the last six races, the balance of the year, we’d get the job done. So we’re fully aware of it.”
McLaren has not been in contention for either F1 title since the 2012 season, with a mid-decade slump with Honda that followed only now being recovered from. While the door may be opening, Red Bull’s fast start to the year before rivals began adding upgrade packages to their cars has given the team breathing space at the top of the table.
“I think all of us are [talking]. I think we all went to Bahrain and went ‘right, that’s that championship’. It’s going to be epic. Mercedes seems to be very on the pace now. Ferrari are there, about two races ago [Monaco], Charles won.”
Brown expressed his excitement about the upcoming season, saying, “So you kind of feel like you’ve got four different teams that are all going to win races in the second half of the year. So it’s pretty awesome – unfortunate the season didn’t start now.” (Formula 1 calendar)
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