McLaren CEO Zak Brown said he was taken aback by Red Bull’s brand‑new power unit during the recent test days in Barcelona. The Austrians will field their own engine on the grid for the first time in 2026, and the question is how competitive it will be compared with the power units from established manufacturers. According to Brown the unit already looked very strong: “I’d rather not see them that competitive.”
Even after the shakedown in Barcelona the big question remains: which team will head to Australia holding the best hand for the 2026 season? Although Mercedes in particular impressed at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya — so much so that George Russell has already been handed favourite status for the championship — McLaren CEO Zak Brown says he’s especially wary of Red Bull.
The American believes the title fight in 2026 will again involve the “big four” — Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. “It’s still too early to draw conclusions, but it looks like the usual names are there,” Brown said during the opening of the McLaren Racing Center in Indianapolis. “It’s just hard to pin down the order. The Red Bull power unit was very strong, and that pleasantly surprised everyone. I’d rather they weren’t that competitive, but I’m impressed by what they showed. They did a lot of laps and looked strong right away.”
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According to Brown the pecking order between the four top teams could also shift from track to track. “If you went to Las Vegas now, Mercedes would probably be the favourite,” the American CEO continued. “But there’s still a long way to go. Williams didn’t get any running, and Aston Martin only ran at the very end, so you have no idea where they actually stand.”
So while many uncertainties remain for McLaren’s boss about the 2026 campaign, he does not expect the entire Formula 1 field to be packed within a single second again. “I think the field will be more spread out, which is logical with a new rule set. Last year in Abu Dhabi the whole field was within one second. Now I’d expect two to three seconds instead. That’s normal.”
