The Tech Behind McLaren Racing’s F1 Dominance

The Tech Behind McLaren Racing’s F1 Dominance

From Uncanny Valley | WIRED by WIRED

June 2, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

Zak Brown discusses McLaren Racing's turnaround and the technology behind their recent success in Formula 1.

Formula 1 racing is a global phenomenon. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown joins Katie to break down the historic turnaround of one of motorsport’s most iconic legacy teams. After turning around a decades-long drought to win back-to-back F1 Constructors' Championships in 2024 and 2025, McLaren is officially back at the front of the grid. Zak turns Katie into an F1 convert as they discuss the team’s cultural resurgence, the massive commercial explosion driving Formula 1’s growth and the high tech nature of the sport and their team strategy. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

People in this episode

Host: Katie

Guest: Zak Brown

Topics covered

  • Formula 1
  • McLaren Racing
  • technology
  • sports
  • business strategy
  • cultural resurgence

Keywords

  • F1
  • McLaren
  • racing
  • technology
  • sports business
  • Zak Brown
  • Katie
  • Constructors' Championships
  • cultural resurgence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: McLaren Racing, WIRED, Formula 1, Alexis Ohanian

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