Brown hails “great year” for McLaren after securing third

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown hailed 2020 as a “great year” for McLaren after snatching third in the constructors’ championship in the Abu Dhabi season finale.

The team has been in a fierce fight with Racing Point and Renault all season and a solid two-car finish with fifth and sixth moved it from fourth to third and in doing so secured an estimated £5 million of extra prize money.

The result came on the same day the team announced a £185m investment from US-based sports investment group MSP Sports Capital and Brown said: “That was a good day today. It’s been a great year, actually.

“I think it’s been a really difficult season in the public spotlight, unfortunately, some of our challenges. To bring the investment in this weekend, the job Lando and Carlos has done all year, the job all the men and women have done, this was really a true team effort.”

McLaren started the delayed season well, with a podium finish for Lando Norris in the season-opening race, but it only secured one more, with Carlos Sainz second in Italy some 10 races ago.

However, the team’s consistent points-scoring performances have kept it in the fight, only failing to score in one race and getting both cars into the points in all of the last five races.

A strong showing in Abu Dhabi with Norris and Sainz crossing the line fifth and sixth, having started fourth and sixth, clinched the position behind only Mercedes and Red Bull by seven points.

Brown added: “It was awesome. It was a bit stressful on pit wall. It might have looked like a boring race for Lando and Carlos, but it was very exciting on pit wall. All credit to everyone on the team, we really got it together this year.”

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