Zak Brown made fun of McLaren for cutting their catering budget as the first step in keeping them below the budget cap, which their rival Red Bull largely attributed to their 2021 overspending.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown made light of Red Bull partially attributing their 2021 overspend to catering costs by joking that the first thing the team did to assist stay within the budget cap was cut their catering budget.
After being found guilty of violating the budget cap, the Milton Keynes-based team was threatened with a $7 million fine and a ten percent reduction in wind tunnel time for the 2023 season.
As the results of this year’s cost cap are expected to be announced near the end of the season, Christian Horner who is the boss of the Red Bull team, has issued a warning that as many as six teams may have broken the cost cap regulations in 2022.
Zak Brown, who spoke to the media at the British Grand Prix, acknowledged the areas where McLaren had made cutbacks in order to meet the rules.
“The first thing we did was we reduced our catering bill! We had some inefficiencies in our spending,” Brown said. “We weren’t operating our own wind tunnel; we were renting the wind tunnels, so that comes at a higher cost.
“If you’re just paying operational expenses for your own.”
Brown acknowledged the difficult choices the group had to make, but he also made a suggestion on the beneficial effect of new technologies on their financial viability.
“We’ve had to make some tough decisions, but also with some of our new technologies coming online,” he added. “They’re actually financially more efficient, and so we’re able to redirect some of that inefficient spend into additional headcount.”
The team at Woking made clear progress, as significant modifications propelled their car up the F1 grid and put them in the running for consistent podium finishes.
Brown expressed a sense of optimism following Sunday’s race with both the team’s performance and the championship race itself.
“Max is getting less further ahead in these last couple of races,” Brown said. “I think it shows just how healthy the sport is, how great the competition is.”
“If we can all get a hold of Max, then I think the racing is going to be fantastic.
In his preview of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Brown stressed that the aerodynamically upgraded McLaren should perform excellently on the fast track.
Brown advised not to underestimate McLaren’s possible battle at Budapest in just two weeks even if they may not have been able to match Red Bull at Silverstone.
