Zak Brown Tag

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The 56th edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off the racing year with one of the most star studded grids of the season. Among the starters of tomorrow’s endurance classic are three 2018 Formula One drivers who have come stateside to compete against the best of IMSA, as well as some of better talents from NASCAR and IndyCar. Fernando Alonso is continuing his exploration outside of F1 as the next chapter of his triple crown attempt (Monaco GP, Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours ofRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief AUSTIN, Texas – McLaren have revealed that they considering returning to its former papaya orange livery for the 2018 Formula One season. The team ran the historic colors in their return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The venture was a in a partnership with Andretti Autosport and support from Honda, which brought global attention as two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso elected to miss the Monaco Grand Prix and crossRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The biggest open secret in racing is now official; McLaren announced today that it is ending its troubled partnership with Honda, and signed a three year engine deal with Renault that will secure the Woking team with power units through the 2020 season. Takahiro Hachigo was regretful that the duo could not emulate the success of their illustrious past. “It is unfortunate that we must part ways with McLaren before fulfilling our ambitions, however, we made the decision with a belief that this is the bestRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Fernando Alonso completed his rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.  The Spaniard ran 110 laps with a fastest lap of 222.548 mph (40.4408 seconds). To get to that speed, however, the two-time Formula One World Champion had to pass his rookie orientation at Indianapolis by running 10 laps between 205-210 mph, 15 laps between 210-215 mph and then 15 laps over 215 mph. The minimum number of laps to complete is 40Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief In less than 24 hours, two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso will officially begin his journey towards the 101 Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28. The 35-year-old Spaniard is set for his first test on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. ET on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, and will run until 5 p.m. ET. With an abysmal this year in F1, Alonso, McLaren boss Zak Brown and Honda came together with Andretti Autosport for a unique situation in which the 32-timeRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor McLaren has made headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2017, mostly due to their incredibly unreliable Honda supplied power units. The team did somewhat casually reach out to Mercedes about supplying them for the future, but for the time being they are under contract with Honda and are forced to make lemonade from lemons. The best long term strategy, one I have written about several times, would be for them to invest funds from McLaren automotive, their successful road car operation, into creating their ownRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief A relationship rekindled in 2015 saw strong potential last season with Honda and McLaren. The Woking-based team finished the year sixth in points, with two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso scoring as high as fifth twice en route to 10th in the driver’s championship. Jenson Button finished as high as sixth in Austria, but a lack of consistent pace relegated him to 15th overall. A wild offseason sees Button take a leave away from the sport for 2017 and he is set to be replaced byRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief McLaren announced the return of Mika Hakkinen to the team in a multi-year deal as a ‘partner ambassador’ role. The two-time Formula 1 champion (1998-99) piloted 130 grand prix for the Woking-based outfit, scoring 20 wins. The 48-year-old Finn competed nine years under McLaren and expressed his pleased he was to return to his “home.” “I’ve always considered McLaren to be my home in Formula 1, and I still have an enormous place in my heart for everyone in the team,” said Hakkinen. “Of course, theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief In only five months, the McLaren F1 team and CEO Jost Capito have officially split up. Formerly the head of Volkswagen’s motorsport efforts, Capito left to join the Woking-based team and worked alongside bosses Eric Boullier and Jonathan Neale – coming onboard at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. However, with former chairman Ron Dennis out and McLaren bringing in a new executive director in Zak Brown, the team elected to part ways with Capito. “Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with JostRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor McLaren dropped a big hint with the teaser poster for their car unveiling this season. It’s orange and black theme is believed to indicate a return to the firm’s classic papaya orange livery, famously introduced by company founder Bruce McLaren. The iconic orange hue has often been used as a testing livery for the team, such as the case of Pedro de la Rosa’s car above. It has also been used for special edition road cars like the F1 LM that celebrated the team’s victory atRead More