What McLaren CEO Zak Brown Told IndyCar Owner Roger Penske In Detroit

Forbes

6 hours ago

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown believes fellow IndyCar Series team owners are providing a 'disservice' to IndyCar Series owner Roger Penske by not telling the series owner their true feelings regarding the sport.
Brown believes IndyCar team owners are highly critical in the media, but when they meet with Penske, they tell him the series is fine.
Brown met with Penske during a rare trip to the United States for last weekend's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix IndyCar Series race. Brown offered his insight on upcoming changes he believes IndyCar needs to do.
'I had a good meeting this morning with 'The Captain,'' Brown told a very small and select group of reporters in the team NTT DATA Strategy Center in the McLaren paddock on May 31.
'We spoke about everything, and it was very productive. I shared my views on things in a very productive constructive manner I was very encouraged that I think they recognize the issues and the opportunities.
'But I am disappointed in some of the team owners that when 'The Captain' is not around they say another thing. And I think that does a disservice, actually, to Roger, because he probably gets conflicting information when he's not around the teams and hen he's around, it's like, 'Hey, everything's great.'
'I was like, 'That's not what you said 20 minutes ago.''
Brown believes real feedback is important for Penske to help guide IndyCar to become a better and more responsive organization.
'We covered everything from tech, to cars, the fans, the races, conflict of interest, the perception of conflict of interest, and I felt he was listening to me,' Brown continued. 'I called it as I see it, which I think is the right way to do it.
'I warned them. I did say I'm seeing media later and I always share my opinion, and they went, 'Yeah, we know,'' he said with a laugh.
Brown has some strong, but very constructive views.
Because of an extremely busy schedule, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown doesn't get much opportunity to attend an NTT IndyCar Series race in person. Most of his time is devoted to the resurgence of the McLaren Formula One operation, which has been the most successful in the 2025 Formula One World Championship.
Lando Norris (left) and Oscar Piastri (right) at the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix. (Photo by Jay ... More Hirano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Oscar Piastri of Australia leads the F1 World Championship by 10 points over McLaren teammate Lando Norris of Great Britain.
But last weekend, Brown was in Detroit for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix instead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
It was Brown's first IndyCar Series race in person in 2025.
The man who has returned McLaren's Formula One team met with Penske, who also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 on May 31.
Penske is at the center of a major decision when it comes to transparency in officiating the series. Brown and other team owners are urging Penske to move to a completely independent officiating body to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.
Also in the meeting were Greg Penske, Penske's son and Penske Corporation Vice Chair of Penske Entertainment; Jonathan Gibson, the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at the Penske Corporation, Doug Boles, the President of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Penske Corporation President Bud Denker.
Penske Corporation President Bud Denker with Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet at Indianapolis ... More Motor Speedway on May 18, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)
'We've been discussing those for some time,' Denker told me on a taping of the Pit Pass Indy podcast. 'We've talked about them last week also. with a number of people and we're still working with the teams. We're working with the people that are stakeholders in our sport to get the right structure of that. But I think the goal continues to be to have that independent organization going into 2026 season.
'We've got our models not like that in terms of their having the FIA do it. We think we'll have an independent body here of the right type of people to make it truly be independent of anything to do with Penske Corporation, Team Penske, or Penske Entertainment. That's important, obviously, but more work to be done there.'
When Denker was asked if IndyCar team owners should help pay for the 'completely independent officiating body' along with Penske, Denker said, 'Well, I'm not sure that's what we're going to have. But again, we're not prepared to announce anything yet. And we're still working with the stakeholders to do that.
According to Brown, Penske was very interested in some of his ideas of improving the sanctioning body, including modernized and transparent technical inspections.
The 109th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway included violations from three teams – Team Penske in qualifications, Andretti Global and Prema after the race.
The seemingly minor rules infraction at Team Penske was modifications to the rear attenuator by applying a different color of Loctite to the seam. Two of the three entries in question were sent to the 32nd and 33rdpositions on the starting grid including Will Power's No. 12 and Josef Newgarden's No. 2.
But it came one year after a major penalty for manipulating the Push-to-Pass system.
As a team owner, Penske acted swiftly and decisively by dismissing longtime Team Penske President Tim Cindric, Managing Director of the IndyCar team Ron Ruzewski and General Manager Kyle Moyer before the Indy 500.
Tim Cindric (left) and Josef Newgarden (right) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 17, 2025 in ... More Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
'It was the worst week of my life,' Denker said, regarding to the dismissals. 'These are people not only we like, but these are also people we love and have done so much for our company with wins and championships and for our brand.
'But the decision was made, and we moved forward. And now we're still moving forward. And I think the fact is that here we were in Detroit, and we're going to be in the next races at Gateway and Road America. We're moving forward.
'Tough decisions were made. They were made, and now we're thinking ahead.'
Brown defended Penske's independence from his racing team at Team Penske and believes the owner of the series in no way, shape or form influence race control and technical inspection.
He also believes if IndyCar can move toward a more independent officiating group, it would help remove the level of conspiracy theories that have become so prominent in the paddock and among the fans.
'I have no doubt as to Roger's personal integrity on the conflict of interest,' Brown said. 'It's just the kind of perception that creates and I'm sure it's frustrating for him because I'm very confident he's not exerting his influence in a way that but just a human nature side.
'People see ghosts and conspiracy theories and they go, 'Oh did the race director make that call subconsciously?'
'I think we need to work through that issue so that everyone can have confidence.'
On the positive side, Brown believes FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks and the way FOX Sports is promoting IndyCar is 'mega.'
'When you go through the list of things that we needed, No. 1 was we had to land the right broadcast partner and I think we've done that,' Brown said. 'We still have the other 19 things to do but at least No. 1 has been done and done successfully.'
Brown shared that IndyCar continues to work on its schedule and believes the Grand Prix of Arlington is going to be an outstanding event.
Brown told Penske he would like the see the IndyCar schedule start a little earlier and continue to stay away from football.
He even suggested the novel idea of starting the IndyCar season the Saturday of the Daytona 500, not at Daytona International Speedway, but have the race the day before.
An idea more likely would be to start the season the week before the Super Bowl or the week after the Daytona 500.
'I think we are in sore need of a new car,' Brown continued. 'I understand we're waiting on the engine formula, which will drive what type of car you need.
'But I think at the end of the day, we've done a lot of band-aids on this car and that is why it weighs so much, it's not fast enough, etc. etc. We could do a better job of integrating the hybrid.
An IndyCar Hybrid. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
'When you just start bolting everything on you end up with a big heavy car and then unfortunately some teams are innovating via engineering a very old car because that's the only way you can find more pace out of it,' Brown continued. 'I'm not saying if you have a new car, teams won't still do what teams have been doing for 100 years in motor racing, but I do think when you've got a spec car that's been around so long, and you ask, 'Where can we innovate?'
'You start innovating in areas you shouldn't innovate in.'
Brown said from the discussion, it sounded like the front half of the schedule is going to be better than this year.
A major part of the conversation involved technical inspection and how to improve it.
Brown told Penske the series needs more investment in tech and technical inspection, including lasers, video inspection and more advanced ways of measuring the cars.
'You are always going to pre-race tech and post-race tech, and we have that in Formula One, but I think technical inspection is very important,' Brown said. 'I think the whole governance around tech, the conversations around having something independent, it needs to truly be independent, and I think that will help a lot on the conflict of interest.
'We spoke about that quite a bit. And I explained my own experience with perception is reality comment.'
Brown also would like to see more investment in IndyCar that could grow the overall value of the series. He believes even fewer charters could help create an increased level of interest to 'buy in' to IndyCar and believes 20-24 car fields could actually improve the racing.
Currently, IndyCar has experienced growth on the grid as 27 full-time entries competing in the series this season.
IndyCar and IMS President Doug Boles during the public drivers' meeting prior to the NTT IndyCar ... More Series 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)
Brown also has tremendous respect for IndyCar President and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, and how he has served two major roles simultaneously.
'I like Doug,' Brown said. 'I think Doug, and I said to him in the team on our meeting, 'He's just been given a (bleep) sandwich for dinner.'
'I like Doug. He is fronted up to it in a big way like he's leaning in which is what you want. Instead of 'everything is great' Doug knows there have been some issues.
'I'm a Doug fan he's leaning in he's direct. He owns the issue and wants to solve them.'
Brown would like to see IndyCar put on display the items that fail technical inspection. NASCAR does that with its 'Show and Tell' table outside of the NASCAR transporter in the garage area so that other teams can learn, what won't be accepted.
'If there's an infringement, I think we should all know what it is,' Brown said. 'I think we should just have total transparency in what we do.
'I know what happened on the Andretti car based on what my team has told me.
'But I think it'd be good to go see what it is.
'Doug was in agreement with that. I think Doug works hard, so I'm a fan of Doug. He's a few weeks into the job and having to deal with some issues, but I feel like he's a guy who is going to recognize the issues, tackle the issues and be transparent about it.
'I just think in general, the more transparent, the better. You can never go wrong with transparent.'
Brown believes the rear attenuator penalties that were assessed to Team Penske in qualifying were similar to a speeding ticket for going 75 miles an hour in a 70-mph zone.
As for Andretti Global's post-race penalties for modifying the Energy Management System (EMS) cover and A-arm covers, that was a speeding ticket for 100 miles an hour when the speed limit is 70 mph.
'Team Penske was going 75, and if what we have taken away from what we've read, Andretti was going 100,' Brown said. 'There's no mistake there. It's not what it was put on because that was the only way to make it fit, or we measured it wrong, or they missed the hole.
'They screwed up.
'You can argue that they screwed up.
'They modified it, completely redesigned a part you can't touch, tested it, and discovered it's better to have on the car,' Brown said of Andretti Global.
'Do I think the owner of Andretti knew what was going on?
'Highly unlikely, but you see the action Roger took with his race team.'
McLaren's Zak Brown believes Penske took the issues seriously and intends to restore credibility and integrity to IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500.
IndyCar Owner Roger Penske (Photo by)