McLaren CEO Zak Brown Issues Rallying Cry After China GP Double DNS Disaster
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has issued a powerful rallying cry at the team's Woking headquarters, insisting the reigning world champions will return to winning ways "sooner rather than later" following a disastrous Chinese Grand Prix weekend. The urgent address comes after both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were forced to withdraw before Sunday's race even began due to electrical failures, marking the team's first double DNS in over two decades.
Disastrous Start to New F1 Era for Champions
After securing the constructors' championship for two consecutive years and the drivers' title with Lando Norris last season, McLaren has endured a remarkably difficult start to Formula 1's new era in 2026. Oscar Piastri has now failed to start either race in Australia and China, while reigning world champion Norris also failed to start the grand prix in Shanghai. Norris managed only a distant fifth-place finish at the Melbourne season-opener, leaving him already trailing championship leader George Russell by a substantial 36 points.
Team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged after the Shanghai race that the electrical failures on both cars were completely beyond the team's control. "It is a tough moment, that's for sure," Stella stated. "If we consider that Oscar has not been able to start a race in the beginning of the 2026 campaign, that's pretty difficult for Oscar to process."
Brown's Motivational Message to Team Personnel
In a video published on McLaren's official social media channels, Brown directly addressed team personnel back at their Woking base, delivering an impassioned message ahead of the next round in Japan on 29 March. "We got to get ready for Japan," he declared emphatically. "We've got the two best drivers in the world, we've got the best racing team in the world, the best culture in a racing team."
Brown continued with characteristic confidence: "So let's just get on with it, go to Japan, race these cars. We'll all continue to do what we do and I'm looking forward to when we win races. I guarantee you when we win our next race, which will be sooner rather than later, we're not going to be thinking about speed traces or batteries or anything. We're going to be winning grand prix races."
Maintaining Positive Mindset Despite Setbacks
Despite the significant setbacks, Stella revealed that both drivers have maintained remarkably positive attitudes. "This was testified and witnessed in the conversation with Lando and Oscar after the race, both remain quite positive," he explained. The team principal emphasized the cultural foundation McLaren has built since their remarkable turnaround journey began in 2023.
"I think what we have gone through at McLaren in terms of the journey from 2023 has been such a good journey of developing a culture, a mindset, what we call internally a winner's mindset," Stella elaborated. "Just a positive attitude, which focuses us on what we can control. In this case [in China], there wasn't much we could have controlled, so we just take any possible learning and we go again."
The team now faces a critical fortnight to resolve their technical issues before the Japanese Grand Prix, where Brown's rallying cry will be put to the ultimate test as McLaren seeks to reclaim their championship-winning form.
