How COVID gave Zak Brown crucial F1 budget cap bargaining chip

Zak Brown says that McLaren Racing has the cost cap to thank for its performance turnaround in Formula 1.

The sport’s leveling of the playing field after the COVID-19 pandemic enabled a team on the edge of bankruptcy to find its footing in a notoriously expensive sport.

Zak Brown: How the COVID-19 pandemic transformed McLaren

As the 2020s got underway, Formula 1 was at a choice point. Aware that many teams were unable to sustain the rabid spending that had characterized the introduction of the hybrid regulations, it was clear that a cost cap would be necessary to curb spending.

That spending cap would be critical for a team like McLaren, which was bordering on the edge of bankruptcy as the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to put both the team and its associated automotive brand out of busi