McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has revealed how the lack of trust among staff paralyzed the F1 team when he first arrived.
When Zak Brown joined the McLaren F1 team at the end of 2016, the partnership with Honda F1 was in trouble on the track, and the board battle between Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojeh was unfolding off the track. rice field.
“Regarding morale, there was a complete lack of trust within the organization,” Brown said of what he discovered upon first arriving at the McLaren F1 team.
“Everybody was guilty in a way until they were proven innocent by the way they worked inside. There was no teamwork.”
“I think it started at the top, in the sense that so much happened at the board level and there was no adult commander in the F1 team. Everyone was trying to buy each other out. I don’t think there was any leadership.”
Zak Brown was appointed to the board following Mansour Ojeh’s final court action to force Ron Dennis to step down as chairman.
Ultimately, Ron Dennis’ contract expired in January 2017, after which he agreed to sell his stake in the company.
Zak Brown believes the McLaren F1 team’s troubles have been caused by these management battles distracting the team’s upper management.
“I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault,” said Zak Brown.
“The bigger situation was that the board was not doing well. It was about to roll down hill very quickly. A lot of trust and confidence was missing.”
“I knew that within the racing team we had won many world champions and race wins and it was important for everyone to work together, work together and believe. But now we’re essentially in a really good place.”
Zak Brown says the structure of McLaren’s F1 and road car divisions now works well and the board battles that dominated his early days are a thing of the past.
“Very clean, very clear,” explains Zak Brown.
“There is a racing board and a group board. The racing board makes racing decisions and the group board makes car decisions.”
“I have a good relationship with Michael Leiters, the CEO of the automotive division. He is from Ferrari. We are on each other’s boards. The collaboration between cars and racing is great.”
“It is clear from what I report to our Executive Chairman Paul Walsh, who is also Executive Chairman of the Automotive Division. there are people
“These are the types of boards you want to have as CEO. They understand how fast sports move, how fast decisions are made, how the game works.”
“So I feel very supported. Everything that needed support from the board. The mechanics are very good.”
