McLaren boss Zak Brown clarifies reports claiming his partnership with Red Bull

Zak Brown addressed the reports that have claimed him to have approached Red Bull for the engine. The McLaren Boss had to clarify the timeline in which the discussion between McLaren and Red Bull took place. Brown said that he indeed went to have a discussion with Ford for an engine deal. However, he added that his visit to the engine factory happened last year.

Brown claimed that the meeting with Ford happened way before they decided to extend the contract with Mercedes. It might be a big decision from McLaren. "I have a great relationship with Jim Farley (Ford CEO). We met last year and then visited the factory. That was before we decided to extend our contract with Mercedes," said Brown in the interview.

In 2026, the engine rule for the cars is set to change. It is likely to reduce the gap between Mercedes and other engines. Red Bull has dared to make their own engines for the next few years. For now, Mercedes have the best engines in the business and are likely to maintain them for the next few years. Things might change based on the product Red Bull makes in collaboration with Ford. 

Can Red Bull challenge Mercedes' engine?

Currently, four teams rely on the Mercedes engine on the track. McLaren, Aston Martin, and Mercedes are three of them. However, Mercedes is set to lose Martin with the new regulations. It might be covered as Honda is set to buy the engines of Mercedes. All the focus has been on Red Bull who are aiming to build a unique engine that could help them win titles on their own. 

Criticism of engines has led to a change in regulations. It has its own positives and negatives. Red Bull would be hoping to take advantage of the the rule to be able to produce an engine that not just competes with Mercedes, but would also be looked upon by other teams in the years to come. A few experts believe it might reduce the domination of Mercedes.