McLaren eyes bigger things
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Bruce McLaren was a Kiwi, born and raised in New Zealand. His eponymous Formula One team and high-technology supercar company are based in England.
And yet McLaren very much wants to be North America’s official team.
The crowd roared Wednesday night at the opening party for the Miami Grand Prix when the Papaya orange appeared on stage. In a city used to superstars and the super wealthy, the spectators seemed to be bouncing at the very sight of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.
Their bosses were there, too, but the inaugural Miami Grand Prix has been built around the star drivers and does McLaren have a crew. Norris was voted most popular among women in a fan vote and Ricciardo, the Australian who drinks champagne from his shoe after a win, has the biggest personality in the paddock and counts the United States among his favorite countries.
And then there’s the IndyCar trio of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Juan Pablo Montoya, among the first to drive the sprawling course around Hard Rock Stadium when they took laps Wednesday in McLaren road cars.
It’s the IndyCar team that is McLaren’s ticket to building a base in North America, which has finally taken notice of F1, and major companies are scrambling to get involved. It’s fertile ground for Zak Brown, the head of McLaren Racing who just happens to be a regular race fan from California.
Brown has had a meteoric rise from owner of an Indianapolis marketing firm that dominated the market during NASCAR’s halcyon days and pushed Brown to the front of motorsports. He’s now the quirky American running the late Bruce McLaren’s team his own way.
Brown takes little credit for McLaren’s gains in relevance both on the F1 grid and in fan popularity. McLaren was voted favorite F1 team in a fan survey and Brown said McLaren’s image has been cultivated through its drivers and a commitment to spotlighting them through thoughtful social media.
The quest to capture the market is working, but also not that competitive. F1 has only one team owned by an American — Gene Haas — but the series has no American drivers; McLaren signed 22-yearold Colton Herta, an IndyCar star from California, to a testing contract that begins later this year.
McLaren is using this week, one of a recently unthinkable two U.S. races on this year’s F1 calendar, to continue to build its presence. There’s a full “SpeedShop” experience that’s been billed as “top secret” and “the most immersive (race) experience outside of sneaking into the McLaren garage.”
At The Wharf in Miami, a customized 2022 McLaren GT is on display all weekend as part of the “Vuse Ultimate Ride” challenge. The car is a collaboration with streetwear brand UNDEFEATED and will be awarded to a fan at the Formula One race in Austin, Texas, in October.
Brown just wants to give away a McLaren and make another new fan.
“Without the fans, there’s no motorsports,” Brown said.