'You could say we...' - Zak Brown praises the pit crew for winning the championship in Abu Dhabi

Even though McLaren had a commanding 21-point lead, they were still in the running for the constructors' championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri's spin on the first lap meant that Lando Norris needed to win the race to ensure the Woking team would win the championship. The Briton achieved his goal, but the difference that mattered most was his pit staff. 

Under pressure from Ferrari, who had initiated an undercut with Carlos Sainz in P2, McLaren CEO Zak Brown praised the pit crew for executing an excellent pit stop. In just 2.2 seconds, the Scuderia's pit team serviced the Spaniard's SF-24 after he pitted first on lap 26. In order to cover Sainz's stop, the McLaren team had to bring in Norris and stay error-free. The Papaya team's mechanics executed a perfect two-second stop that allowed Norris to rejoin the track barely 1.6 seconds ahead of the Ferrari on the very following lap.

Keeping the #4 driver out of Sainz's DRS range prevented the Ferrari driver from closing in and maybe passing him, so this distance was vital. “You could say we were about seven-tenths away from losing the championship,” Zak Brown said on the High Performance podcast.

McLaren won the Constructors' title after long wait

Zak Brown claims that the race was so intense that, following that pit stop, he even lost track of how many laps were left. Brown acknowledged that the stress behind the scenes was unbearable, even though Norris was able to maintain his lead and win the race thanks to the two-second stop. The CEO of McLaren acknowledged that, considering the extreme concentration and accuracy needed at such a crucial moment, he would not have wished to be in the pit crew's position.

But for McLaren, their victory was a historic one, as they won their first constructors' title since 1998, or about 26 years ago. With the team now positioned as a dominant power going into the 2025 season, it showcases McLaren's amazing comeback in Formula One.