Dakar News: Arrow McLaren Targets IndyCar Dominance with Formula 1-Inspired Approach
(Dakar, August 2023) – Zak Brown, the CEO of the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Series team, has expressed his belief that the squad can mirror the recent uptick in fortunes experienced by the organization’s Formula 1 outfit. Speaking exclusively to Dakar News at the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Brown emphasized the “same concept” underpinning both racing programs.
McLaren’s Formula 1 team has found renewed success, winning two grands prix in 2024 and closing the gap on series dominators Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Likewise, in the IndyCar Series, Arrow McLaren’s lead driver Pato O’Ward has secured two victories and briefly held second place in the points standings after the first leg of Iowa’s double-header.
“Same concept,” Brown said. “Get the best drivers in the world, certainly the best drivers in IndyCar, build the team the same way, empower the leadership, give them the direction and support and resources they need to be the best at what they can do. Be honest with ourselves, learn from our mistakes. So, I think there’s a lot of similarities.”
The last 11 IndyCar titles have been won by either Team Penske or Chip Ganassi Racing, and Brown has set his sights on breaking their duopoly in the future. He acknowledges that consistency has been a challenge, citing the team’s performance at the Indianapolis 500 and struggles on bumpy circuits as areas for improvement.
“At the Indy 500 we were pretty awesome. Lead a lot of the race. Our weakness seems to be bumps, so if you look at where we fall short, Toronto, Long Beach, [tracks] of that nature,” Brown said.
The team has also had to navigate some off-track drama, including the breach of agreement with driver Alex Palou, which Brown describes as “a very big distraction” that the team is now recovering from. However, he is “very happy” with the team’s current driver line-up, which will see Christian Lundgaard join Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel next season.
As the Arrow McLaren team continues to evolve, Dakar News will closely follow their progress as they strive to challenge the established powers in the IndyCar Series and emulate the success of their Formula 1 counterparts.
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