The Tech Behind McLaren Racing’s F1 Dominance
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
.
From Wired, this is The Big Interview, where we'll get to know the people beyond the headlines in conversations that explore the intersection of technology, power, and culture. I'm Katie Drummond, Wired's Global Editorial Director. Formula One auto racing, or F1, is already very popular overseas. And in the past few years, it's broken into the U.S.
What led to McLaren Racing's resurgence in Formula 1?
in a big way. Much of that success can be attributed to the sport's representation in movies and on streaming platforms. Netflix has a series, Formula One Drive to Survive, that's now in its eighth season. And you may remember that among the Oscar contenders for Best Picture this year was the blockbuster named, fittingly, F1, starring none other than Brad Pitt as a race car driver. But in the world of auto racing, one team in particular has made a huge comeback. McLaren Racing, one of the sport's oldest teams, won three world championships between 2024 and 2025. Each marked the first time the team has clinched those titles in decades. And at the helm of the storied racing franchise is CEO Zach Brown, who's credited with much of the team's recent success.
He joins me now to talk about all this and more. Welcome, Zach. Thank you for having me on. We're thrilled to have you.
How has Formula 1's popularity grown in the U.S.?
I'm so excited to talk. And I need to start with a confession. I need to start by leveling with you here. Wired covers sports a little bit. Particularly on YouTube, we have just a fanatical audience for auto racing. Anything F1, people go absolutely crazy. But I have to admit, I'm the global editorial director, which is a fancy way of saying I'm the editor-in-chief. I'm not an expert in everything that we do here at Wired, and cars and driving is not my strong suit. I do not have a driver's license, but I do know that F1 has been breaking through in the U.S. in a significant way. We're going to get into the specifics of it all. You're going to teach me more about auto racing. You're going to talk to me about cars.
I want to learn. I want to understand this world. I think our listeners do, too. But first, I want to actually start with your personal story because it's a fascinating one in terms of how you got to where you are now. And I understand that it started with watches and it started with Wheel of Fortune. So take us back many, many years to the origin story of Zach Brown. I don't think any of us can be experts at everything. I'm certainly not an expert at all things McLaren racing. I just always laugh when I'm talking about cars because I literally cannot drive one. Yeah. OK. All right. Fair enough. Fair enough. I would never be able to be an editor. I have wired. I mean, there are people in the Wired newsroom who were like begging to come listen to this taping because they are such massive F1 fans.
So, like, I understand. The power of Formula One. The power of Formula One. Like, this is a cultural phenomena that I experience in the newsroom. I just, I don't know as much about it as I would like to. Well, we're going to change that. We're going to change that today. Yeah, where do I get started? So I'm originally from Los Angeles. My first ever Grand Prix was the 1981 Long Beach Grand Prix. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember meeting my first racing driver, getting my first autograph, and the speed and the sound and kind of the visceral experience. I was 10 years old, a lot older now. And a couple years later, I was able to go on Wheel of Fortune Teen Week. Teen Week.
What challenges did Zak Brown face upon joining McLaren?
Teen Week. So I was 13 years old. Won the first two rounds of the Smurfs. I knew who the Smurfs were. Okay, good. Wild Bill Hickok. I need to rely on Wikipedia to tell me who Wild Bill Hickok was. But I got the spelling right, and won. And you do what you do as 13 years old, and you look immediately at what's the most expensive thing I can buy. How much money are we talking about here? $3,050, I think it was. That's not an insignificant sum of money. And went to the top of the list, which happened to be his and her watches, which kind of, as it came out of my mouth, was... What does a 13-year-old want with some very nice Cartier watches?
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:24
2
What led to McLaren Racing's resurgence in Formula 1?
0:24–1:14
3
How has Formula 1's popularity grown in the U.S.?
1:14–3:19
4
What challenges did Zak Brown face upon joining McLaren?
3:19–32:34
5
How does technology influence McLaren's racing strategy?
32:34–39:44
Speakers
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