McLaren’s CEO warns Red Bull about “scary what might be coming.”.
Given Red Bull’s dominance in Formula One this year, McLaren CEO Zak Brown says it is “a little frightening” to consider “what might be coming” from them in 2019.
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Red Bull has dominated the competition in 2023, winning 15 of the first 16 races.
Their lone loss came at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend.
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This weekend in Japan, the defending champions may win the constructors’ championship, and Max Verstappen is en route to capturing his third straight drivers’ world championship.
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Brown believes that Red Bull would have begun concentrating on the development of their 2024 challenger much earlier than their competitors had they not been so dominant this year.
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“I suppose given Red Bull’s dominance, they would have stopped their development sooner than others to concentrate on the car for the following year.
So, what might be coming is a little scary,” Brown told Sky.
“The rest of us are still chasing, but the rules are fairly constant.
Therefore, I believe that everything we are learning will be applicable to the car of the following year.
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Lando Norris had a strong start to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend after finishing second in his significantly improved McLaren in Singapore.
He finished third fastest on Friday.
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“I believe we’ll be competitive here.
It was enjoyable while it lasted because Max was back in the lead, Brown continued.
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Norris, however, believes Red Bull will ultimately be too strong to overthrow and has downplayed McLaren’s chances of pulling off an upset at Suzuka.
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“The Red Bull is just doing normal Red Bull at the moment, but I think we’re not far away,” he said.
“I’d say that typically, when we get a little closer, we lower the fuel, rev the engines, and do other similar things. I believe that going for pole is probably a bit much to ask.
“But I think that’s going to be our battle for tomorrow: trying to challenge Mercedes, who maybe didn’t look quite so good today, challenging the Ferraris and Astons.
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