Brown admits surprise at McLaren's position as he identifies key factor in constructors' battle

Zak Brown has conceded that McLaren's return to frontrunner status in 2024 has been unexpected, with the team finding themselves just 42 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings.

The Woking squad enjoyed an impressive turnaround in 2023, jumping up to become Red Bull's closest challengers by the end of the campaign, but have continued to progress this year.

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Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have claimed debut Grand Prix wins – with victory in Miami and Hungary respectively – while McLaren are enjoying a run of 10 podium finishes in the last 12 races to put them firmly in the hunt for the constructors' title with 10 races remaining.

However, speaking to BBC Sport, the McLaren CEO admitted that the team did not believe they would be in this position so soon.

“If I were to sit here and say I’m not surprised, that would be disingenuous,” Brown explained. “I felt like we’d continue to close the gap. Did I think we would be here at the summer break, one race away from getting the lead?

“That race would have to be the first and second and fastest lap, and do I think it’s going to happen like that? No. But if we keep the same trajectory we’ve been on the last six, seven races, we’ll be where we need to be by the end of the year.

“I thought we might get where we are now by 2025. I didn’t think we would be where we are now in 2024, but I’m not complaining.”

This season presents McLaren with a real chance of taking their first victory in the constructors’ championship since 1998, when they won it with drivers David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen. They have also enjoyed remarkable consistency with at least one McLaren driver finishing on the podium every race since Norris took his first win in Miami.

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Red Bull, meanwhile, have been hampered in their bid to retain the constructors' title in part due to the poor form of Sergio Perez, with the Mexican 146 points behind team mate and championship leader Max Verstappen.

While having two drivers consistently in the top three has given McLaren an advantage, Brown is not ready to confidently claim the constructors’ title with Perez hoping to bounce back after the summer break.

He said: "It's going to be tough. I think it's going to come down to the last race. There's not much between the cars.

“It's gonna come down to how does Sergio Perez perform? If he can perform as he's capable of performing, it's going to be a hard fight. If he continues to perform as he has this year, we have a pretty good chance."

While Perez has failed to finish on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April, his team mate Verstappen still has a commanding lead in the drivers’ championship, with a 78-point buffer over Norris who has his own individual title ambitions.

That gap could be smaller, with Brown readily admitting that some crucial mistakes have been made by both the team and driver.

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“We’ve all made a variety of errors, which to me are learning experiences,” he stated. “I think maybe because we have got where we are quicker than we thought, it shows we still have learning to do.

“We probably should have finished first and second at Silverstone. Lando is trying to fight for a world championship. He’s learning, as are we.”