McLaren Boss Zak Brown Predicts Four-Way F1 Title Battle in 2025

McLaren CEO Zak Brown predicts a thrilling four-way battle for the 2025 F1 championship, with Max Verstappen facing stiff competition from Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown is predicting a thrilling 2025 Formula One season, with a four-way battle for the championship. Brown, who oversaw McLaren's remarkable rise to constructors' champions last season, believes the competition will be even fiercer this year. “I think the field is going to be even tighter than last season,” Brown said at the Autosport Business Exchange conference on Wednesday.

McLaren's own resurgence is a testament to the potential for other teams to make significant gains. After finishing ninth in 2017, the Woking-based team rose to fifth in 2022, fourth in 2023, and ultimately claimed the constructors' championship last season. Brown acknowledges that this rapid improvement could be replicated by rival teams. “I see the top four teams being just as tight as they were at the end of the year... when you see the turnaround we had, there's no reason why other teams can't have that type of turnaround.”

Brown is enthusiastic about the prospect of a highly competitive season, with multiple teams and drivers in contention. “I think we're going to start for an epic season... I think we're going to have an unbelievable three, four-way driver championship. And four teams fighting for the constructors' (championship). I think that's possible.” With 24 races on the calendar, the longest campaign in F1 history, Brown's predictions set the stage for a thrilling and unpredictable season.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull will be gunning for his fifth consecutive championship in the upcoming season, following a year that didn't quite showcase his dominant form. However, he'll face stiff competition from a talented pool of drivers, including McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as well as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who will be chasing his eighth title at the age of 40.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has had his say on the FIA stewarding debate! 🤨

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Lando Norris, who finished as the runner-up last season, 63 points adrift of Verstappen, has expressed his readiness to mount a serious challenge for the championship. Meanwhile, Ferrari will be looking to build on their strong performance last season, where they finished just 14 points behind McLaren, with Red Bull and Mercedes trailing behind in third and fourth place, respectively.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown shared an interesting anecdote about team principal Andrea Stella, revealing that Stella had initially turned down the role when it was first offered to him in 2020, feeling that he wasn't ready at the time. Stella, who joined McLaren from Ferrari in 2015, eventually accepted the position in 2022 and has since played a crucial role in the team's success.