Dear McLaren fans,

As the CEO of McLaren Racing, I am filled with immense pride and a deep sense of responsibility in leading this iconic team. The legacy of McLaren and its rich history in motorsport is a privilege to uphold. The passion and dedication of McLaren's fans drive me, and everyone at McLaren, to work towards our shared goal of success on and off the track.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our exceptional Team Principals Andrea Stella, Gavin Ward, Ian James and their leadership teams, as well as the many men and women who work tirelessly both trackside and behind the scenes. I am honoured to be a part of this remarkable team and to be supported by the best leadership team in the sport. It is the collective effort of our entire organisation, including our owners, board members, our great partners, and our committed fans that truly embodies the spirit of McLaren Racing and propels us forever forward.

As we enter the final lap of the 2023 season, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank our millions of papaya fans around the world and to reflect on our achievements over the past 12 months.

While it was a tough start for us in Formula 1, we stayed focused and remained calm under our new leadership team, headed by Andrea Stella, to develop our car, which took us from the back of the grid to fighting at the front. The amazing thing is that, apart from a few changes at leadership level, it was the same people who started the season that enabled McLaren to finish 2023 strongly. And as we work around the clock on our 2024 challenger, we intend to build on this year’s progress and push our rivals even harder next year.

We face a formidable challenge next season in continuing to close the gap to the front. All teams are locked in a quest for car development and greater pace that is just as fierce off the track as it is on it, but our team will rise to the challenge with its usual determination and relentless dedication.

Credit must go to Max Verstappen, who broke all the records in a year of domination in 2023 — the likes of which I doubt we’ll ever see again. In Hungary, when Red Bull Racing eclipsed McLaren’s long-held record from 1988 (to win their 12th consecutive Grand Prix), it was fitting we were able to share the podium to celebrate their achievement — despite Lando’s slight mishap with the trophy!

All year long, the battle amongst the rest of the field has been intense, which enthralled Formula 1 fans across the globe. It was also great to see our former driver and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso proving that at 42, age is no barrier to success — scoring six podiums in the first eight races.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin didn’t make it easy for us, but we pushed at every race on each and every lap, resulting in a thrilling finish where the final positions in the FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship were only decided at the 23rd — and last round — of the season. Never before have five different teams scored seven podiums in the same season, which just goes to underscore the competitive nature of the grid this year.

Going into 2023, our aim was to be a regular podium contender and finish no worse than fourth overall. Although we managed to achieve that goal, the reality is we have been a blend of going from the ninth quickest team to arguably the second-fastest come the end of the year. A lot of credit for our upswing in performance must go to Andrea Stella’s team and their collective leadership in orchestrating such a phenomenal turnaround. Andrea has done an outstanding job, not only in the culture he has created at McLaren, but in the way he has empowered people. He’s a very determined and inspirational leader.

A personal highlight for me this year was our home race at Silverstone when Lando burst into the lead at the start, with Oscar following close behind. Hearing the British fans erupt from the grandstands was a truly spine-tingling moment. Lando has been at the top of his game in 2023, showing tremendous pace and terrific racecraft. He can often be hard on himself when he makes a mistake, but his seven podiums are a testament to his speed and determination. That first win for him is just around the corner.

I believe we have the strongest driver pairing on the Formula 1 grid. Many agree that Oscar has been a revelation in his rookie campaign, and he has already shown he is able to fight at the front with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. It was a shame he missed out on a podium at Silverstone, due to the timing of the Safety Car, but he did achieve his first at Suzuka before his brilliant victory in the Qatar Sprint, both of which prove he is an exceptional talent. With a new contract that takes Oscar with us through to the end of 2026, I’ve no doubt he’ll continue to impress as he gains more experience.

Victory in the Sprint in Qatar was one of two fitting achievements for the team that weekend in what has been a very special year. Aside from Oscar’s triumph, in the Sunday race — in unbearably hot conditions — our team took their own world record, in this record-breaking season. Immense credit must go to our hard-working and skillful squad who managed an incredible 1.8 second pit stop on Lando’s car. While it is the drivers who get most of the attention from the media and fans, this was a reminder of the intense level of teamwork that operates throughout the whole of our organisation, as multiple departments and disciplines across our race team contributed to that world record feat.

I mentioned a special year, because in 2023, we celebrated the 60th anniversary since our inspirational founder Bruce McLaren put this great team together. We marked the occasion with a number of special activities, including one-off liveries and show runs of legendary machines from our past. Despite the inclement weather, the Goodwood Festival of Speed provided the perfect location to showcase our rich and successful history.

On our current cars — whether it was the throwback to our Chrome livery in partnership with Google for our home race at Silverstone, the OKX ‘Stealth Mode’ in Singapore, the Jack Daniel’s debut in Las Vegas, BAT’s Driven by Change livery in Abu Dhabi (which for the third year in a row supported under-represented creatives), or the Triple Crown livery in Monaco — our fans loved the chance to celebrate our six decades with us.

Another personal highlight for me was seeing our Triple Crown liveries run at the Indianapolis 500. In contrast to the Monaco F1 version, we ran three different colour schemes, each car representing our unique victories achieved in the Indy 500, at Monaco and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Under the stewardship of Gavin Ward, we came very close to taking McLaren back to Victory Lane at the Brickyard, qualifying our four cars in the top nine positions. In total, we led 76 of the 200 laps, with both Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward cruising at the head of the field. Sadly, it wasn’t our day, as in quick succession, they were out of the race in the closing laps…

Despite the disappointment, Indianapolis was another emotional moment, and it was an honour to give my old friend Tony Kanaan one final outing in an IndyCar, with his car displaying its own bespoke Triple Crown livery. And while he won’t be back behind the wheel for us next year, he has taken up an important role as Sporting Director in our IndyCar team.

Tony’s years of experience and expertise will be invaluable to us as everyone at Arrow McLaren returns for another crack at the legendary 500-miler and a full season of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as Pato reunites with Alex Rossi, and is joined by the talented David Malukas. I’m also delighted that Kyle Larson will join us on the grid for the Indy 500 supported by Hendrick Motorsports, another great name in our sport.

As 2023 was the first season our IndyCar team ran three full-time cars, I’m proud of the strong performance across the whole team with 10 podiums, two pole positions and competitive results in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. We have a strong foundation to build on next season.

As well as our adventures in the United States, this past season will be remembered as our first competing in the FIA Formula E World Championship. Under the leadership of Ian James, our year started brightly, with rookie Jake Hughes putting his NEOM McLaren on pole position in Diriyah — in only his third Formula E race. In Diriyah, René Rast also secured our first podium in Formula E, which was a personal highlight of mine. I’m hoping we can add to this next year as we race in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Misano for the first time.

For every team, the new Gen3 machine was a challenge to master, and as the races progressed, we found it tricky to adapt to the unusual style of pack racing. But I’ve no doubt that, strengthened by the addition of Sam Bird in our line-up alongside Jake for 2024, we’ll start strongly when the championship begins in Mexico City in a couple of weeks’ time.

In Extreme E, it is no secret that we had a challenging year. However, a P2 finish in Scotland is a testament to the team’s hard work throughout the year, and I have no doubts that we will continue to grow in this championship in 2024. We recently said farewell to our driving duo of Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust, who I’d like to thank for their efforts over the past two years. As we look ahead, I look forward to announcing our new driver line-up in the New Year.

We have a number of exciting activities planned for 2024 via our Driver Development Programme, led by Emanuele Pirro, as we look to continue our long-standing record of nurturing young talent within our sport. Rising female talent Bianca Bustamante will race in McLaren colours in the F1 Academy. Euro 4 Championship winner Ugo Ugochukwu will take part in the Formula Regional Euro Championship, and F3 Champion Gabriel Bortoleto will take on the F2 championship, all three with support from Emanuele and the entire McLaren Racing family.

The appearance of F1 Academy as a support category with Formula 1 next year is a great addition, and huge credit must go to F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff and Formula 1 for their joint vision of bringing this exciting initiative to life with the aim of developing and preparing young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition. We are immensely proud to champion the F1 Academy, and all 10 Formula 1 teams have pledged their support, highlighting our collective commitment to fostering diversity and excellence in motorsport.

Under Liberty Media’s ownership, Formula 1 continues to thrive thanks to their strong leadership and dynamic vision. We have seen the sport continue to be more fan-friendly, resulting in a direct uplift in record crowds and TV viewership. A number of promoters recorded attendances of over 400,000 over their three days of hosting a Grand Prix, which is a phenomenal marker of the sport’s popularity. The new Hollywood film that is being shot alongside the real Formula 1 action this season and next is a great example of the sport’s appeal and will take it to new audiences.

It was great to have three successful races in the United States on the calendar, with Las Vegas joining the two other events in Miami and Austin. All three have a unique and distinct flavour, and while there were initial issues during Thursday evening’s practice session, the Vegas race weekend was ultimately a huge success. The race was arguably one of the most exciting of the season, and there was no doubt the cars looked absolutely spectacular as they roared down the Strip at over 200mph.

For 2024, the calendar will expand to 24 races. Firstly, it will be great to return to Imola, one year on from the devastating floods that hit the Emilia-Romagna region last spring and led to the cancellation of the race. There will also be a welcome return to Shanghai for our first visit to China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I think that 24 races feels optimum, but I also agree with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Dominicali’s suggestion of keeping the calendar invigorated with the rotation of some race venues. As Stefano has suggested, a limited amount of rotation could help with the demand from promoters who are interested in hosting a race, while giving an opportunity for fans in different parts of the world to experience Formula 1. It also provides a fresh challenge to the drivers and engineers by keeping them on their toes.

The continued growth of F1 also provides new opportunities to multi-national companies, and it’s great to see that there has been an influx of quality investors who want to partner with teams, such as Arctos with Aston Martin and Otro with Alpine, bringing with them global sporting stars like Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua and Patrick Mahomes, and our very own MSP Sports Capital, to name a few. Formula 1 has always been attractive to car manufacturers. We know that Audi is entering the sport in 2026, but this year has also been significant as Ford have confirmed their return (in partnership with Red Bull) and GM/Cadillac, who have announced their desire to enter the sport with Andretti Global.

From a regulatory perspective, both the FIA and Formula 1 also need to be given credit for the budget cap, which has introduced a fairness and a parity to the competition that didn’t exist before. This has also seen a tremendous amount of value created for the teams, hence all the new investors, and an overall grid that is the most competitive it’s ever been. I can’t think of a single team, OEM, investor, or owner that doesn’t 100% support the cost cap.

That said, there is an opportunity to improve some of the other processes in Formula 1 to strengthen the values of fairness and competition. The sport is not perfect, and as we look ahead to negotiating the next Concorde Agreement to unite the governing body with the teams and commercial rights holders, we should prioritise some of those rules that currently impact the impartiality between competitors.

For example, most other major sports prohibit the ownership of two teams within the same league because of the obvious potential damage that it does to competition. It’s an unhealthy situation because it impacts decisions made both on and off the track. Whether it’s a case of having access to more data, sharing components/personnel, or even having influence over a strategic vote, it’s not in the spirit of the regulations.

It’s important to stand up for independence, competition and fairness, and I’d like to see changes in the regulations to ensure that in future, they stop influence spreading from one team to another through strategic alliances and especially through ownership. Formula 1 should be true to its brand, and every team - except Power Units - should be totally independent of each other.

I believe Formula 1 fans universally believe in fairness in competition and a level playing field, and would reject any actions that compromise the true spirit of competition within Formula 1. Part sharing of information, shared ownership models, and strategic alliances within the sporting fabric of Formula 1 will only serve to undermine the fans’ belief in fair and fierce competition.

Speaking of the future, we have plenty to look forward to, both in 2024 and in the years ahead. Significant recent investments in our infrastructure, including a new wind tunnel, a next-generation simulator and an upgraded manufacturing unit will help accelerate our journey back to the front. Plus, we have new senior personnel starting with us in January, in Rob Marshall and David Sanchez, who, combined with our already awesome team, should ensure we start 2024 on the front foot. In addition, our recent agreement with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Power Trains allows us to continue to use their power units beyond the new engine formula in 2026 and through to 2030.

Finally, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve any of the above if it wasn’t for our tremendously hard-working team partners, investors and suppliers, and of course, our incredibly dedicated workforce at the McLaren Technology Centre and McLaren Racing Composites in Woking, our NEOM McLaren Electric Racing Team in Bicester and our Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team in Indianapolis. They are our driving force that has enabled us to make our 60th year one to remember. I want to thank everyone for their dedication and hard work, as we continue to strive for success on the race track.

I’m also incredibly grateful to the extraordinary number of passionate and loyal fans who support us across the globe — and they are growing in number with each passing year. Whether we are racing in Singapore, Silverstone, St. Petersburg or Saudi Arabia, there is always a large family of papaya-clad fans that make us feel welcome in their home cities. Their enthusiasm is truly exceptional and much appreciated. We thank every single one of you and hope that you’ll join us in celebrating our next major success soon.

Please keep up your support for this great team, and see you on track soon.

Zak