McLaren F1 chief lands massive £37m payday thanks to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri | F1 | Sport

Zak Brown was paid £37.3million last year for McLaren’s 2024 Formula One success. The Woking-based squad won the Constructors’ Championship title for the first time since 1998 thanks to Lando Norris’ win at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

The 25-year-old Brit held off the threat of both Ferrari drivers, converting McLaren’s advantage into victory and seeing the job through after Oscar Piastri was spun around by Max Verstappen on the opening lap of the Grand Prix.

Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, accounts filed with UK Companies House revealed that Brown picked up a payout of £37.3m last year, an increase from £26m in 2023. The McLaren company reported pre-tax profits of £37.5m.

Brown can prepare himself for another bumper payout in 2025. McLaren are 333 points clear of second-placed Mercedes heading into the final seven rounds of the campaign and could even break Red Bull’s record for the most points accumulated in a season.

What is undecided, however, is who will don the 2025 Drivers’ Championship crown. Heading into Sunday’s battle in Singapore, Oscar Piastri leads Norris by 25 points at the top of the standings.

However, the Australian is under pressure to turn his form around. He was beaten by Norris at Monza in round 16 of the campaign, and crashed on the opening lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after jumping the start. Had Norris finished better than a disappointing seventh, the damage to his World Championship advantage would have been even more severe.

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Then there is the threat of Max Verstappen. Just a handful of weeks ago, with the Dutchman over 100 points back from Piastri, it would have been unthinkable to list him as a title contender. However, after reeling off back-to-back Grand Prix victories, the deficit to the Australian sits at 69 points.

For now, though, Piastri isn’t panicking. “I’m not going to rule him out, but I’m honestly not too concerned with that,” he said after his DNF in Baku. “I’m just trying to bounce back from this weekend and put in the best performances that I can. I know that if I get back to where I know I can be, then I’ll be more than okay, so that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

Verstappen and Red Bull will gain a better understanding of their title chances after the 18th round of the campaign. Singapore has, historically, been a banana peel track for the Milton Keynes squad, and it is the only circuit on the calendar at which the 28-year-old has not won.