Latest news with #McLarenRacing
News18
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- News18
McLaren's Zak Brown 'Not Surprised' By Horner's Exit Amid Red Bull Turmoil
Last Updated: Zak Brown wasn't surprised by Red Bull's decision to part ways with Christian Horner after two decades. Laurent Mekies replaces him as team principal amid allegations. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has admitted he wasn't surprised by Red Bull Racing's decision to part ways with longtime team principal Christian Horner, hinting that the departure had been a long time coming. Horner's exit marks the end of a two-decade tenure with Red Bull, a move that shocked many in the Formula 1 world. But for Brown, the signs were already there. 'Maybe the timing, but not the result," Brown told TSN when asked whether he was caught off guard by the news. 'There's been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down—maybe even been getting worse. So, I'm not surprised, anytime in the middle of the season." Christian Horner's departure comes after months of intense scrutiny. At the start of the 2024 season, he faced allegations of inappropriate behavior made by a female colleague, prompting an internal investigation. While Red Bull GmbH ultimately cleared Horner of any wrongdoing, the controversy sparked wider unrest within the team. The situation only escalated with the high-profile exits of key team figures such as Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey and Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, signaling significant internal upheaval. While the drama at Red Bull dominated headlines, Brown emphasized that McLaren's focus remains firmly on the championship fight. 'We're head down on our Championship," Brown said. 'They've got Max still knocking on the door, so we've got to pay attention to that. But [Red Bull has had] a tremendous amount of success." New Leadership at Red Bull Despite Horner's abrupt removal, Red Bull has yet to provide an official explanation for the decision. He has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, the former team principal of sister team Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri). Mekies now faces the challenge of steering Red Bull through a season already marred by internal conflict and shifting leadership. view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 17:03 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
McLaren's Zak Brown says Horner axe no shock as Red Bull turmoil grows
LONDON, July 22 — McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said Christian Horner's sacking as Red Bull team principal was not unexpected, but conceded that he was taken aback by the mid-season removal. Horner was dismissed on July 9, just three days after Red Bull driver Max Verstappen finished fifth in the British Grand Prix. 'I'm maybe [surprised by] the timing, but not the result,' Brown told Canadian broadcaster TSN. He added: 'There's been a lot of drama there the last couple of years and it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down – maybe been getting worse.' Red Bull did not give a reason for Horner's departure, replacing him with Frenchman Laurent Mekies, who previously led sister team Racing Bulls. Horner's removal came 17 months after a female employee accused him of sexual harassment and controlling behaviour, though Red Bull's internal investigations dismissed the allegations, which Horner denied. The team has since faced a decline in performance, with key figures including technical officer Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and head of strategy Will Courtenay all leaving. Verstappen's dominance faded after his fourth consecutive world title, and amid rumours of a Mercedes move, Red Bull are now fourth in the constructors' championship with just two wins from 12 races.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren Racing, where sound meets speed
Bowers & Wilkins will support McLaren Racing's global travel and race preparation efforts. The appeal of Formula One will undoubtedly appeal to fans who want to merge music with the roar of a V8 engine using Bowers & Wilkins headphones. Usually, when you attend a Formula One Grand Prix, you wear headphones or earplugs because of the loud roar of the V8 engines. While many people use earplugs, others opt for headphones and with a plethora of brands currently available on the market. Bowers & Wilkins headphones and McLaren From Bose to Sennheiser, Sony, and now Bowers & Wilkins, users are spoiled for choice. While many headphones have their own unique features, such as noise cancellation, long battery life, and convenient touch controls, as well as Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, some users want to see a performance attached to the buds. Bowers & Wilkins, the British audio pioneers, have announced a new chapter in their partnership with iconic performance brand McLaren. ALSO READ: Dell announces new AI-driven headset portfolio F1 sound While the two brands have worked together for almost a decade to bring exceptional sound into McLaren's supercars, this partnership now shifts into high gear, expanding to include the McLaren Formula 1 Team. Adriana Wooldridge from Homemation, distributors of Bowers & Wilkins in South Africa, said the announcement is a perfect meeting point of engineering, performance, and passion. 'More than speed or sound, it's about how both can transform an experience. Whether you're behind the wheel or with your headphones, this collaboration represents the best of British innovation.' Collaboration As part of the partnership, Bowers & Wilkins will support the McLaren Racing team's extensive global travel and race preparation needs with their award-winning audio products, from noise-cancelling headphones to immersive sound systems. This collaboration also means fans can expect more co-branded products in the future, following the success of the Px8 McLaren Edition headphones and the Zeppelin McLaren Edition wireless speaker. Nick Martin, co-chief commercial officer of McLaren Racing, said both brands share a commitment to innovation and technical excellence. Availability While no availability or pricing has been specified, South African music lovers, motorsport fans, and audio enthusiasts will welcome the news as it signals more than a partnership, but a promise of what's possible when two performance powerhouses collaborate. NOW READ: Samsung's new TV's allow you to take care of your pets [VIDEO]
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Today's Most Effective CEOs Are Focused On Building Capacity
Capacity is oxygen to moden CEOs. getty CEO turnover is rising. In 2024, a record 2,221 chief executives stepped down, and 2025 may break that record again. While the reasons vary, most fall into four pressure zones: mounting economic volatility, growing political interference, relentless organizational complexity, and a commonly overlooked factor, the personal toll of leading under constant scrutiny. The business environment has fundamentally changed. And with it, so has the CEO's mindset. Today's most effective leaders aren't just strategic. They possess something broader: capacity, which is the ability to absorb pressure, process complexity, operate under ambiguity, and remain composed without sacrificing personal well-being. With rapid disruptions in markets, technology, and team dynamics, leadership today is less about control and more about agility. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown echoed this shift in a recent CNBC interview: "You lose a lot more than you win. So you've got to get good at losing and use that as motivation to do better next time." That mindset reflects the core challenge of modern leadership: building your internal infrastructure to withstand volatility without burning out. Here are three essential components of leadership capacity. In a previous era, leaders could rely on experience and stability to make informed decisions. Today, that playbook is obsolete. The pace of change across technology, consumer behavior, and workforce expectations requires leaders to operate with greater agility and mental flexibility. The modern CEO and leader will have to make even more decisions without having all the data. Preferences shift, team dynamics evolve, and AI continually rewrites the rules of competition. Leaders need the mental capacity to process setbacks, absorb ample amounts of ambiguity, and move forward without hesitation despite the incompleteness of information at times. As Brown noted, setbacks are no longer rare—they're routine. The difference between those who will succeed and those who will come up short comes down to the ability to metabolize various degrees of failure, not just tolerate it. High-capacity leaders will recalibrate quickly, keep their teams aligned, and redirect energy to what matters most. Emotional Capacity: Rest to Respond, Not React If mental capacity governs how leaders think, emotional capacity determines how they lead under pressure. And few forces undermine that faster than sleep deprivation. Recent research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that sleep loss impairs your brain's executive function centers, weakening judgment and impulse control. This results in increased emotional reactivity, riskier decisions, and a diminished ability to process complex information or manage high-stakes interactions effectively. For CEOs, this translates into a leadership and organizational liability. Another study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that even moderate, chronic sleep restriction produces cumulative effects, subtly degrading decision quality and emotional regulation over time. Most CEOs aren't pulling all-nighters, but many are consistently underslept. And over time, that deficit compounds. Sleep is the unseen infrastructure that fuels leaders' emotional steadiness and executive performance. Social Capacity: Lead with Values, Not Politics In today's polarized climate, nearly every public move a CEO makes is scrutinized. Leaders are often pulled in multiple directions: expected to weigh in, stay neutral, take action, or remain silent—all at once. A recent PMI national survey reflects this tension clearly: 84% of Americans believe companies should support their local communities 68% want CEOs to take public stands on societal issues Yet 58% say they don't want to know their CEO's political leanings The message is clear: people want leadership, not ideology. Trust isn't necessarily built by choosing sides; it's earned through values-aligned decisions and consistent behavior. This extends beyond public relations. In a recent interview with CNBC, UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel noted that even flawless execution can be derailed by political forces. "Everything else can be perfect," he said, "but if that [government] view has a different view, it doesn't go forward." His comments came as national governments blocked significant merger efforts, not due to strategy, but due to politics. Social capacity for leaders starts by being able to: Lead effectively across divisions and interests with a shared mission Maintain coolness when messaging under pressure Navigate stakeholder demands without alienating core relationships The Next Era Of Leadership Belongs To Capacity-Driven CEOs The leaders who will win this next chapter of business won't just be the smartest or most connected. They'll be the ones who can withstand more scrutiny, ambiguity, and responsibility. That doesn't happen by default. It occurs by design through the intentional development of your mental, emotional, and social capacities. Volatility is inevitable. But CEOs who build the internal foundation to absorb it without losing direction will become the rarest and most trusted asset of all: leaders people actually want to follow.
Motor 1
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The McLaren 765LT Proves Why the 'Longtail' Name Is So Special
Can you believe McLaren's modern line of 'Longtail' exotics is 10 years old already? It seems like just yesterday we saw the 675LT for the first time, the hardcore version of the 650S, revealed to the public at the now-defunct Geneva Motor Show. The LT moniker has come a long way since then. Three years after the 675 came the 600LT, a lighter-weight, aero-laden version of the already excellent 570S. Then, in 2020, came the 765LT, a missile on wheels based on the near-flawless 720S. The Longtail name is steeped in history. Like any good sports car trim, its origins can be found in racing, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But the name has made more history since then, dominating comparison tests and lining collections in the form of the cars mentioned above. Those two little letters have quickly become code for the best McLaren has to offer. Using a 765LT as a lens, let's take a look back at how that happened. History of the Longtail The Longtail name made its first appearance way back in 1997, when the United Kingdom still ruled Hong Kong and Princess Diana was alive. McLaren, hot on the heels of its overall win at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, realized its competition was walking away from the F1 GTR as it sat with near-production bodywork. Following some relaxation of the FIA's homologation rules, which allowed further development so long as one road model was produced, McLaren made some significant changes to the F1 GTR for the 1997 GT championship. Most notable was the extended bodywork at the rear, earning it the Longtail nickname. The redesigned shape—also greatly reworked up front—reduced drag and increased downforce, while at the same time making the car easier to drive. 'I hadn't driven the '95 or '96 cars back then, but I have more recently, and the Longtail is a massive evolution,' Chris Goodwin, former chief test driver for McLaren, said recently. 'While you have to drive within the limit of the earlier GTRs and be more delicate, the Longtail encourages you to be more aggressive, so you can brake deeper and overdrive it immediately. Naturally, that leads to a faster lap time.' McLaren F1 GTR Longtail chassis 20R, which took a class win at Le Mans in 1997. The new body lines, paired with a 220-pound weight loss and a sequential transmission in place of the H-pattern manual, did wonders for the F1's competitiveness. That year, it dominated the FIA GT championship, winning five of 11 races. The F1 GTR Longtail also finished second and third overall at Le Mans, taking first and second in class. The legend of the Longtail was born, immediately cemented into the history books. The Modern Longtail In all, McLaren built 13 Longtail F1s, 10 GTR race cars, and three road cars. Despite their low production numbers with the F1, the Longtail name has blossomed into a full-on model line within McLaren's range, meant to represent the most extreme, hardcore road cars the company offers. Leaning on its legendary status as a race car, McLaren had the bright idea to revive the Longtail name in 2015, 18 years after it first debuted. But instead of bestowing the name upon another race car, the company built 1,000 road cars. The 675LT echoed the original Longtail's purpose: To be more capable on a race track, through less weight and improved aerodynamics. Oh, and a longer tail. McLaren managed to cut 220 pounds from the 650S thanks to more carbon panels, lighter wheels, a new exhaust system, carbon bucket seats, and a plastic rear window. The interlinked hydraulic suspension was retuned for the lighter body, while the aero balance was recalculated to account for the longer wing and deep splitter up front. The McLaren 675LT. The original Longtail stretched 25.0 inches longer than the standard F1. The 675LT, however, is only 1.5 inches longer than the 650S. Though the visual change wasn't nearly as distinctive, the jump in performance was obvious. The twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8, tuned to a sinister 666 horsepower, slung the carbon-tubbed car to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, onto a top speed of 205 mph. In our original review, we called the 675LT 'a ridiculously quick and capable car' that's also 'exploitable and engaging, whether in track mode on a circuit, or just out on the road in a day-to-day driving.' A worthy successor to the original, then. The second modern McLaren to carry the LT moniker, the 600LT , was more of the same. It used a similar formula, stripping off 211 pounds by means of lighter equipment and more carbon. It also leaned on extra aerodynamics to improve downforce and lay down quicker lap times. And, of course, it had more power: 592 horses from its 3.8-liter V-8—up 30 hp from the 570. The 600LT was even quicker to 60 mph, able to lay down a time of just 2.8 seconds when using launch control. But straight-line speed wasn't its biggest feat. In our first drive from 2018, we called the 600LT 'arguably the firm's best product ever,' praising its balance, feel, and precision. The McLaren 600LT Spider. Then, in 2018, came the 765LT. A sharpened version of the transcendent 720S, it rewrote the book on just how wildly capable a supercar could be. For McLaren, it could've been rinse and repeat: Take weight out, then add power and downforce. But this time, the company did even more to set the Longtail apart. In addition to all of the lightweighting and extra power, McLaren also added a new dual-clutch transmission with shorter gears and borrowed carbon-ceramic brakes from the Senna. Forget a missile on wheels. With a curb weight under 3,000 pounds and 755 horsepower under your foot, the 765 is a railgun trained on the next corner, ready to blow it to pieces. The first time I drove the 765LT was in 2020, when I managed to snag just two laps at Lime Rock Park—a circuit I quickly discovered was far too small for a car as obscenely quick as this one. Straights were erased in seconds, and so were corners, if you knew what you were doing. Even five years later, the latest Longtail is a mind-bender. Driving it on the street is a constant exercise in restraint, the lack of sound-deadening and ultra-stiff suspension reminding you with every foot of travel that this car is meant to be going flat-out at all times. Photo by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1 Photo by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1 Photo by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1 As soon as the road opens up, though, the 765LT is a revelation. Even at five years old, it's impeccably modern in its delivery, with only a second of lag before the turbos kick in and launch you three football fields ahead. The steering is typical McLaren perfection. With hydraulic assistance and a thin wheel to grip, it's a wonder competitors haven't copied the LT's homework here. The real beauty lies in the 765's chassis tuning and lack of weight. Heavier cars can handle just as well, but they end up feeling more synthetic, hiding behind a bunch of tech to make the same corner or reach the same speed. Here, there's still a purity you can feel when you turn the wheel. That's down to all the carbon fiber and McLaren's funky interlinked suspension, which uses hydraulic connections in place of traditional sway bars. But like that F1 GTR from 1997, the 765LT remains indefinitely approachable at those high speeds. Despite the massive power-to-weight ratio, short gears, and eye-popping brakes, it's never scary or overwhelming. That Longtail spirit remains the same, even after all this time. The Longtail's Future Through all three modern LTs, there is a string of constants. All rely on lightweighting, more horsepower, and greater aerodynamics to push the performance envelope. More importantly, these changes come without compromising on driver pleasure. Any upgrade brings joy to the person in the driver's seat, whether they're ripping through their local back road or pushing for a personal best at a race track. Photo by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1 There are surely more Longtails on the horizon. McLaren's current Artura and 750S, which themselves use many learnings from the 600LT and the 765LT, don't yet have LT variants of their own. When those cars do arrive, you can be sure they'll carry the same ethos as that original race car from the '90s: Less weight, more engagement, and a longer tail. More on the Longtail McLaren 675LT Duels 765LT In Old Vs New Long Tail Drag Race I Went 200 MPH* In A McLaren On A Public Road – Legally Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Gallery: McLaren 765LT Review 56 Source: Brian Silvestro / Motor1 Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
