“Wide body” means the car’s body is made wider, usually to fit wider tires and look more aggressive. The hosts are saying the Grand Sport keeps that wider stance.
The Corvette E-Ray is a Corvette that uses both a gas engine and an electric motor. The electric part helps it launch quickly and provides extra grip, especially in bad weather, while still keeping the V8 feel.
The Corvette Stingray is the standard Corvette model. Here, they’re using it as the baseline, then talking about how the E-Ray changes the driving feel with added electric power.
An electric motor is the electric power unit that helps move the car. Because it can deliver power immediately, it can make the car feel quicker off the line and help with grip.
Instant torque means the car’s electric power shows up immediately when you press the accelerator. That quick response is part of why the car can accelerate very fast.
The Corvette Grand Sport X is talked about as a future, higher-performance Corvette. The idea is that it will have a bigger gas engine than the E-Ray, so it should feel even stronger.
Carbon ceramic brakes are high-end brakes made from special ceramic material. They’re designed to keep braking performance consistent, especially when you drive hard.
The used car market is where people buy and sell cars that aren’t brand new. The host expects the E-Ray to get cheaper once more of them enter that market.
The Corvette ZR1 is the most extreme version of the Corvette. Here, they’re debating whether the big rear spoiler is something you really need, or mostly just for looks.
A spoiler is a piece on the back of the car that helps the car “stick” to the road at higher speeds. The point here is that it matters most when you’re driving hard on a track.
The Porsche 911 is Porsche’s most famous sports car. In this conversation, it’s used as an example of a model that defines the brand, even when there are faster special versions.
The 911 GT3 RS is a more extreme, track-oriented version of the 911. The point here is that even though it’s very special, the speaker thinks Porsche’s top “halo” car is something else.
A “halo car” is a flagship model that’s meant to define a brand’s image—often the most aspirational, technologically advanced, or emotionally compelling car in the lineup. It’s not necessarily the fastest or the most track-focused; it’s the one that best represents what the brand wants to be.
The Porsche 918 Spider is one of Porsche’s most special, limited supercars. In this discussion, it’s described as the brand’s “halo” car—the one that most strongly represents Porsche at its peak.
They’re saying the car shows the rear view on a screen from a camera, rather than using a normal mirror. They think it makes lane changes harder because it’s not as straightforward as normal mirrors.
A split back window means the rear windshield is divided into two parts. The host mentions it because it looks like the rear window design on older Corvettes.
Formula 1 has a rulebook that tells teams what they’re allowed to build and how races are run. When the rules change, it can force teams to redesign their cars and change their racing strategy.
“Pitwall” is the team’s control area near the pit lane where engineers and strategists monitor the race and communicate with the drivers. It’s where decisions like strategy calls and adjustments are coordinated in real time.
“Lead changes” are moments when the driver in first place swaps during a race. A high number of lead changes usually indicates close competition and frequent overtaking at the front.
“Starts” in Formula 1 refer to the launch from the grid into the first corners, where positioning and traction matter a lot. When Zak says the starts are “dramatic,” he’s emphasizing how chaotic or eventful the opening phase can be.
“Flat out” means driving at maximum effort—using the car’s available grip and power as much as possible. In racing context, it highlights that drivers want to run at the limit continuously, even as rules and technology change.
In Formula 1, “new technology” can mean changes to car systems (aerodynamics, energy recovery, electronics, etc.) that weren’t possible or allowed before. Zak’s point is that the cars can do behaviors “we’ve never seen” because the rule changes and tech updates reshape what teams can build and how the cars behave on track.
“Adjustments” refers to the iterative process teams go through after rule changes—updating car setup, development direction, and strategy based on what they learn in early races. Zak frames it as normal evolution rather than a sign that the racing is fundamentally broken.
The Indy 500 is a major race in the U.S. held on a high-speed oval track. The hosts are saying it can be scary for F1 drivers because it’s a different kind of racing and accidents can be severe.
Oval racing is racing on a track shaped like an oval. Because the turns and speeds are so different from road courses, drivers used to other types of tracks may need time to adjust.
Engine failure means the engine isn’t working correctly anymore. In a race, that usually ends the car’s chances because the driver can’t keep going at full speed.
Concept
roll of the dice
A “roll of the dice” means the result can swing based on luck and unexpected events. In a race, things like crashes or timing can change everything.
A safety car is used when the track is unsafe, like after a crash. It slows everyone down so officials can fix the problem, and it can completely change race strategy.
A pace car is another way to slow the race down when something is happening on track. It keeps cars moving at a controlled speed until it’s safe to race again.
The Buick Century is a mid-size car made by Buick. It’s associated with older model years, and people may bring it up when talking about favorite car eras. In this podcast context, it sounds like it’s being used as an example of cars from the twentieth century.
A gearbox is what lets the engine spin at the right speed for acceleration and speed. In older race cars, it was easier to damage that system if you pushed too hard.
A miss shift is when you don’t get the gear you meant to. In older race cars, mistakes like that were more likely to cause problems and even damage parts.
Naturally aspirated means the engine makes power without a turbo or supercharger. It usually gives a more straightforward, immediate feel when you press the gas.
Car
McLaren GT3
McLaren GT3 is a McLaren race car category used in amateur-to-pro racing. It’s built for track events where different brands can compete under the same rules.
The McLaren P1 is one of McLaren’s most famous supercars. It’s known for being high-tech and rare, and the speaker thinks older P1s are a better deal than some similar cars.
A “supercar” is a very special kind of car—usually expensive, fast, and built with advanced technology. Here, the speaker is saying the McLaren P1 is one of the biggest examples of that level.
The McLaren F1 is a famous supercar from the 1990s. It’s remembered for being very different from most supercars and for focusing on the driver.
Concept
car storage unit
A car storage unit is an off-site facility where owners keep vehicles when they don’t have enough space at home. The speaker uses it to explain how they manage a large collection—rotating cars and only driving them occasionally.
The BMW M2 CS is a sportier, more performance-oriented version of the BMW M2. The host is excited about it because it has a more aggressive look and he’s comparing its price and feel to other similar used cars.
A manual transmission means you shift gears yourself using a clutch and gear stick. Some drivers prefer it because it can feel more connected and more fun to drive.
This is a special, higher-performance version of the Corvette. The 1993 Corvette ZR-1 is the exact Corvette Michael Jordan owned, and it’s now on display at a Corvette museum.
LIVE
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. I'm Hannah Elliott and
I'm Matt Miller.
This is Hot Pursuit.
Coming up on today's podcast. We've got Zach Brown, the
head of McLaren racing with us, which is a really big deal. Matt. He joined you on TV too, which
is very cool.
Yeah, he is awesome.
He's going to talk to us ahead of the Indy five hundred, which is of course this weekend. He is
also racing next year in the Lamar Hypercar Division and has won Monaco already in F one. So he's going
for a Zach Brown triple crown because yeah, it's because McLaren's already wanted as a team, but you know before he was involved and obviously only one other driver has ever won it in Graham Hill.
Sure that guy has a lot going on. I'm glad
he made time for us.
Me too.
I was really really grateful. So we'll get into that.
It was an excellent conversation and we're gonna reopen the can of worms talking about corvettes because you had I never remember if it's the z L one or z R one or z one r X, Like there's so many letters and numbers, but that you had the Apex predator of Corvettes.
V R one X Corvette. That's right, I did, and
you got to bet yourself.
Yes, I had the E Ray again, which I've driven before.
I was absolutely in love with it. In the past,
my purest neighbor Eric, he didn't like it so much, and I think that's the case for a lot of people who are like purest sports car fans. But it's
interesting because that one is going extinct. This is the
last year of the E Ray. Yeah, because the Grand Sport.
They're coming out with the Grand Sport, which is essentially the same thing, a wide body. It's the Z six
body with just the big motor in it, and they're making an electric version or hybrid version of the Grand Sport as well, the Grand Sport X. So that will
take the place of the E Ray.
Well, I think that's okay because after my drive and the ZR one X, like, what more could you want? Really?
I mean, I feel like you could do a K shaped curve of a Corvette. Either you get the entry,
the base model, which is a lot of car for the money, or you go all the way up to the top of the food chain, and like, why do you need something in the middle that's interesting.
I think of it as an E shape, right, So the Stingray is the bottom rung and the z R one X is obviously the top, but I like the middle ground. So especially the E Ray, I absolutely love it.
It's the six point two liters V eight in the back.
It's got the two hundred horsepower electric motor on the front axle, and so you still get the vibe, the sounds, the smells of you know, a big inch V eight naturally astirraated V eight behind you, and it's behind you, which is different for a corvette, you know, in my lifetime, they've all been front engine until now. But then you
get the pole and the instant torque of the electric motor in front. So zero sixty and two and a
half seconds, right, And also for these north wet North Eastern you know roads, you get the safety of having all wheel drive for the first time in a corvette.
I don't have to have the thousand plus horsepower of the z R one and I get a little bit more push and pull from uh from the E Ray than I would in the in the typical sting Ray.
So I like the middle ground a lot, and I especially think it's gonna be a great deal when they put out the Grand Sport X. That's gonna have a
bigger motor, right, it's gonna have a six point They're going to a six point seven liter V eight, and so every one with the money is going to trade up.
And I'm rubbing my hands together. I cannot wait for
the used car market to just drop prices on the Era, because not only does it come with the wider body, the zero six body, but the Era comes with carbon ceramic breaks as standard, as well as the magnaride as standard.
So I think it has everything you need and nothing you don't.
Yeah, that's a good case. I mean, I'll just give
the outline of the zer one X and see if that doesn't entice you a little bit. Did we mention
it's twelve hundred and fifty combined horsepower and it's zero to sixty in under two seconds, which is kind of hard to fathom. And I admit I didn't get anywhere
near to touching that because I'm not a fool.
It's you didn't put on launch control and try it out for yourself, you know what?
No, I didn't because the last car that I drove that had this amount of horsepower, as you may remember, was the Baborghini Rubulto, and I did get a very painful speeding ticket in that car. So I was really
put on notice in this thing. The thing that I
actually really liked about it is that, yes, it has all of that power which you can use, and I you know, I had it up on Mulholland and you can't even access it on a twisty cool famous driving road.
You really just I wanted to take it on a straight shot to Vegas. That's really how that car is
best used. But I will say I did drive it
around town to like, you know, my facialist and coffee and all these other things, and it is nice to drive around down around town. As we know, a lot
of these cars are frustrating. It's a little bit scary
because the visibility is nil behind your shoulder, you just can't see a thing. And with the extra arrow, which
I don't think you need in this thing, I was very sensitive to not wanting to scrape or you know, shatter the wheels the arrow anything which is it was that was a little in la. It gave me pause.
By the way, that's driving the car was great.
That's so I want to hear more about driving the car.
But I'll just interrupt to say the arrow is where they lose me on that thing. Like I the eight,
the Plane C eight, and the E Ray is the plainest of them all because they do they do the E Ray in all one color. It already looks racer
boy enough, Like I don't need a gigantic tail because guess what, I'm not going to be doing one hundred and seventy miles per hour in a twisties. I don't
know why they go all out with that.
I completely agree. Like I'm looking at the z R
one X on the website right now, and it doesn't have the arrow, and it doesn't have the spoiler, and it already looks wild and ultra cool, and it stands out it's very distinct from the Sting Ray. The Stingray
looks really cool, but it's a lot more mundane than this, so you already feel special. I don't think you need it.
I'd be curious to ask Corvette how many of their Z one x owners are taking the car to the track, because I think the only argument you could make for needing.
That spoiler is on a track. That's the only way
you would ever get it.
So how on a track or just in Miami driving around the downtown area.
I mean someone made a joke. Well, that's what you
put your launch on. When you stand around your car,
you put you lay your sandwich on the spoiler. So
I do get that, but you know, I'm so with you.
It's it's like ten grand extra to have it. I don't,
I rarely don't think it's necessary. And I also know
we're going to disagree about the color of the car, which I think, as you said, the car already screams for attention, so I'm more inclined to choose a more subdued color. I get that my orange, and I was
slightly embarrassed to be driving around this orange thing.
I mean, I love so I love orange on a supercar, like on a Lamborghini or a Corvette z R one x, which I contend is a supercar if not a hypercr Oh come now, come, now, come on. You just said
twelve hundred and fifty horsepower, right. I don't know how
much torque it has, but I imagine it's very substantial and just because you can get in for I mean it's not even cheap, right, it's over two hundred grand the MSRP.
Yeah, it starts at two hundred and nine and the one I drove was up around two hundred and forty.
Right, And you're not getting it off a dealer lot for less than three hundred three fifty because they're charging like one hundred grand or even one fifty in an additional dealer markup.
Yes, yeah, I maintain my stance really as it was conceived and born into the world. The Corvet is America's
sports car, or that is America's sports car. That is
what it is. It's the same.
This thing is so far from the original Corvette, like it's so far from the C three's that you have.
It's just a different vehicle with the same name.
I'm a bit of a purist to me. Once you
put you birth a car into the world, that is what it is. You can dial up the engine as
much as you want, but that is it is what it is. Look at the nine to eleven now, I
would not say that the nine to eleven is a halo car for Portie. Even if you get into the
GT three RS that's not Porsia's halo car. A halo
car for Porsche and a supercar for Portia would be something that follows the nine eighteen Spider, a completely different model.
I hear the nine moment will.
Always be the nine to eleven. You can have a
lot of variations on it, and yeah, we get more power and it's faster, but it is always the nine to eleven. I see the Corvette in the same way. Yeah,
you can dial up the engine if you want, you can add a spoiler, that's great, but at the end of the day, it is still a Corvette, which is by its very nature and DNA a sports car.
I hear what you're saying. But they didn't just dial
up the motor. They moved it to the back of
the car, all right, So anyway, we won't ever resolve this.
But I wonder what you thought about driving it. So obviously,
you know it's incredibly fast and quick, but I also think, and I haven't been in a ZR one obviously, I've only been in a Stinger in an Eray. I also
think it's very comfortable, it's accessible, and it's easy to drive.
At least the lower models are easy to drive around town.
What did you think?
Completely agree. The thing that was the overwhelming impression from
this car is how incredibly smooth it is. And I
think we cars that are meat for the track and cars with a lot of power can often be very brutal and be extremely fraying on your nerves. The sound,
the stiffness of the suspension, they're just like not really fun to be in. The z R one X was
completely opposite of that. Everything was so smooth and imperceptible.
You know, when you get in the car, it jumps to a very quick speed and I'm not gonna say what speed, because I'm not going to incriminate myself, but it jumps so fast and it's it's imperceptible what the car is doing. All you know is I'm now going
extremely fast and that is awesome. But at the same time,
it's extremely composed. It doesn't feel like it's fighting you.
It doesn't feel like it's out of control or raw in any way and has a place. But this car
is not raw. This car is composed. I really loved it.
I didn't love changing lanes in this car because again, the visibility is challenging, even with the rear view mirror that is a video camera instead of a mirror. Visibility
is challenging, and I know they're really proud of their split back window because that's similar to some of the older Corvettes the split windows, of course, but the visibility is really challenging and changing lanes on some of California's freeways, it feels like taking your life on your hands a little bit. That's why I want to drive it to Vegas,
like this is the perfect car to just drive across America.
Right, Yeah, I totally totally agree. All right, look forward
to your column on the Corvette ZR one X. When
we come back, we're going to give you our interview with McLaren Racing CEO, Zach Brown.
Welcome back to Hopursue. Joining us now is the charnydo.
Zach Brown, one of our favorite people to have on this podcast and just in general to talk about racing with.
This is such a car guy. All right, let's kick
it off here. I have no idea what you guys
spoke about before, but of course I have a lot of questions. Okay, great, so to kick it off, and
I'm sure.
Everyone by the way, by the way, I'll i'll just sorry.
I'll just remind you that this will come out on Friday, as you know, and so and then the Indy five hundred is this weekend.
So that's where I am.
Going to the Okay five hundred, I will be on the ground. I will be there. I can't wait. Okay, Well,
here's the question, and it is an F one related question, And maybe we should talk about Indie two because I've never been before. Everybody's talking about the new rules and regulations.
The people who are doing well say they love them.
The people who are toward the back of the pack say they're a travesty and they're terrible and it's not real racing. How do you feel having a bigger, more
long term and more top end perspective on where we are with the rules and regulations in formula one? Can
you give us a little bit of context as the adult in the room about how disruptive they really are and is this real racing or not? Yeah?
One hundred percent. So I think the truth is somewhere
in the middle. Let's break it down. So the racing itself,
when you watch it on television or I'm watching on pitwall, it's pretty awesome, right. Three four lead changes at the front,
five different leaders in Miami. So from a television product,
if we weren't talking about it, you wouldn't know other than well, there's a lot of lead changes going on.
The starts are dramatic. You know, people aren't getting off
the line, well some people are, so I think the racing, the spectacle is very good. The drivers, of course, want
to drive flat out all the time. That's what Formula
one's about. These are still the fastest race cars in
the world, but the drivers are having to adapt now we've all whether it's into our krding or Formula one, racing is about trying to beat the car in front of you with whatever tools you have. So it's still
very much racing. That being said, the race car does
things that we've never seen race cars do before because we've got new technology. That being said, we're three four
five races into it. You're always going to need to
develop new technologies. I get that everything in Formula one
is magnified times a thousand. So if we're not happy
in Race one, oh my god, it's a tragedy. And
in reality is we've already made the first round of adjustments.
Miami was better. We have more adjustments coming. So what
I would be saying to people is the racing is great.
We will smooth out this technology. Be patient. It's the
same thing that happened when we had the hybrid era start over a decade ago. Everyone's saying it's going to
be a disaster, and we ended up with the closest racing ever. So too somewhere in the middle. Yes, do
we have work to do? Of course we do. Are
the cars perfect for what Formula One drivers want? No?
Will we get there and get there in short order?
I believe we will.
Okay, I have a followup real quick, Matt, and I'm sure you have your own questions. Is this new era
of F one creating a different type of driver? And
I ask, as we're moving forward, you're great at developing very young drivers, new drivers, bringing drivers into the sport.
I'm also thinking of F one Academy. Is this new
era going to be creating a new style, new type, new modern driver.
I think it is, But I think that was going to happen no matter what the rules were. When I
look back to when I was racing, you had a drinks bottle button and you had a radio button. And
you had a physical of what was called an anti roll bar. Now these steering wheels have so many gidgets
and gadgets on them, So I think what today's Formula One is, regardless of today's specific rules, is going to be more in tune with what the younger generation has grown up with, which is lots of technology at their disposal, so kind of no different than you know, if you were to hand my mom an Android phone today versus what she was used to, it would be a bit overwhelming.
So I do think racing is going to develop in a way where the younger generation who's grown up around this technology. For me, if I were to sit in
the current Formula one car, which I have, it's information overload with what's going on on the steering wheel. But
that's kind of what the new generation driver is going to be grown up with.
I had to say further record, I think the racing got better even before Miami. So like the first race,
what I noticed immediately was I think it was Russell and Leclair. They just kept passing, passing back and forth
the whole time, and so it didn't look like real.
And then in China and Japan, I thought it got much better and in Miami as well, was just an awesome race to watch and I no longer was thinking about as much about battery deployment. I think they're actually
showing it also less on this cream.
They are, and there's a technique to it. So the
reality is you got to kind of size up the competition and decide when do you want to deploy your battery.
And you know, it was unusual being on pitwall when we were in qualifying. Normally, the communication that the driver's
been you know, go five meters deep or get on the power a little earlier, and it was a bit more weight, be patient, wait to deploy, don't deploy too early.
So it was definitely a different technique, but you still needed to be smarter and better at it than the next guy.
Is there though, So we're getting ready for Indy and I can't wait to spend the entire weekend watching. Is
there any form of racing that you like better than another?
Because Indy seems to be so much more old school.
It's about the driver and with F one, like I can imagine the future of F one where the driver's not even in the car anymore.
So high tech, Yeah, I think, you know, that'll never happen because people want to see the gladiatorial racing drivers going at it. We could have been a lot more
digital with our race cars even yet today, you know, and stuff's been banned over the years. You know, we
had connected cars twenty thirty years ago, and we banned the kind of the two way communication where we could actually adjust the car from Pittwall. So the technology is there,
but we want to stay true to you know, racing is about racing drivers. It's funny, I've asked myself the question,
do I prefer Monaco, Do I prefer the Indy five hundred, or do I prefer the twenty four hours of Lama?
Answers all the above. Each one's different. So there's something
I love about the twenty four hours of Lama that Indian Monaco don't deliver. Then there's something about the Indy
five hundred that Lama and Monico don't deliver. And then
it's kind of like, how can you not put Monaco top of the list. That's the Monaco Grand Prix. That's
what I grew up listening to Jackie Stewart on ABC Wide World of Sports. So I think they're all unbelievable
and it's kind of hard to have a favorite because they're they're different.
You know why he brings up those three races Hannah in particular.
Well, they're the triple Crown of motorsport and McLaren has won.
All three, yes, this is correct, is the only team to have won all three. So Graham Hill is the
only single driver to have won all three, which is pretty amazing if you think about it, because it's been a while.
That's why I'm bugging Fernando. He can still, he can
do it. He can do it.
Let's actually talk about the elephant in the room here.
What is the possibility that Max Verstappan would get into a McLaren l M P car potentially at perhaps Lama.
I know McLaren will be launching a Lamon at a pack.
Yeah, I think all the Formula One drivers would love to do Lamar. It's the indie up here. Well, no,
but you know Lando wants to, Oscar would like to.
I think Max of course. You know, he just did
a great job at the twenty four hours in urber Gring this past weekend, was leading with three hours to go, so I think everyone's comfortable with Lamar. That's kind of
what they know that the Indy five hundred, uh scares the majority of the grid in Formula one, So it's it's it's on the more dangerous side when you look at you know, the type of racing. It's oval racing,
so it's something that they're not accustomed to. And let's
face it, any accident at Indianapolis is a big accident.
But Fernando did it, he let it, almost won it lay. Yeah,
he did an amazing job. So he's the one that
I'm twisting his arm going come on, be the next gram Hill.
He only did he only dropped out because of mechanical failure, right.
Yeah, we had an engine. We had an engine failure.
But he has won Monico obviously, and he has won Lamon.
Yeah.
So he's the only driver, I mean that's got two thirds of the way through two.
And and and is comfortable doing the Indy five hundred.
You know, you talk to the other drivers and they kind of don't want to have anything to do with it.
Why doesn't he want to? Why toy around with Aston
Martin in f one? Like, why not go?
I'm not giving up on him. I'm good friends with Fernanda.
I'm a massive Fernando fan. He's he's old school. He
just wants the race. He's like Mario Andretti and the
Dan Gurney's and the Graham Hills and uh, I'm not giving up on that dream.
We have been talking with Zach Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing more after this break. We are back now
with McLaren Racing CEO Zach Brown.
Matt, do you remember when we were at Lamon last year and Jensen Button said win at Lamont actually meant more to him. Yes, that really put it into perspective
for me that.
It's such a big event and it's so hard to win.
But he too was hesitant to talk about maybe Indy Racing.
Yeah, I don't think anyone want to know anything about the Indy five hundred.
I'm going to for the first time ever this weekend.
I'm very excited. Do you have advice for how to
do Indy If you've never been.
Wait till you see what is the world's largest live attended sporting event. You've never seen a city inside a
stadium like you will experience and thirty three cars coming into turn one at two hundred and forty miles an hour.
The sound, the spectacle, the speed, the size is amazing.
I'm getting goosebumps as you say, dude, is it bigger attendance than like Silverstone?
Oh yeah, yeh yeah. Is a single day sporting event.
I think it sits three hundred and fifty thousand people. Wow.
So, I mean Zach's advice is to watch from pit from Pitt Wall right, have your own team.
Always best seeing in the house. No, but it's gonna
be on Fox.
We were talking about this because I as you know, Hannah, I love that F one is now on Apple TV, And I mean I think for Americans that it just opens it up to to live, sleep, eat, and breathe one and Indy obviously it's on Fox, so we can watch the whole thing there. How do you plan as
as a spectator, How would you plan your day?
Like?
I always like to go in the grandstand, which is something I don't do often, but it's actually the best spectator.
Everyone wants to get in the pitch. Can't see as
much in the pits. I mean, I know you're close
up to the action, but actually sitting in the grand stands is your best review for watching the race.
How do you rate your chances this week. I think
we've got a good chance.
We've finished second twice in the last few years. We've
crashed going for the lead. We had two cars that
crashed going for the lead. But you know, it's a
bit of a roll of the dice. It's a long race.
You need everything to go your way, so it's a bit more like Lamar. You know, Monica, you're getting to
lead and turn one, you're you're kind of you know, I don't want to say job done, but you've done the heavy lifting. Indye, just anything can happen, you know something.
We had a Pato crash yesterday. Someone crashed in front
of them. You know, you get the safety car or
the pace car at the wrong time. So there's a
lot of variables that need to fall your way.
This is a bit of a pivot. But Zach, I'm
reminded that last year you were racing yourself in the Iraq races during Pebble Beach in Monterey. Do you have plans.
I'm in the Monterey Historics every single year. It's the
only time that I know I've got a free two weekends.
There's the prehistorics and historics because it's the Formula one shut down. So I've been going to that event for
twenty plus years and I intend to go to it the next twenty years. This year, I'll be bringing my
Iraq again, a Portion nine thirty five, a Jaguar XGR nine Group C car, and my McLaren MD can Am car.
What are your favorites? I mean, let's say, of the
twentieth century, right, what's your favorite era in terms of you know, driving?
And I love sports cars mostly because I fit in them pretty well. The group see the GTB cars. I
think those cars, even if you look at them today, they look very modern. My favorite era of indie car
was a late eighties early nineties. That's what I grew
up around, and the same thing in Formula one. But
I think our favorite eras tend to be what you kind of grew up around. You know, if you ask
my kids in twenty years, I'm sure this is going to be their their favorite era.
But the late eighties, early nineties and F one has.
To be take the cake, right, And the cars all look different. You had different types of power units, and
you know, you went and looked and all the cars were designed differently. Now that you've got so much you know,
computers aiding you, and the regulations are so tight, you kind of spit out very similar looking cars that have very subtle differences. Where you go back and you look
at the eighties and a McLaren or Ferrari or Williams something, they just looked like a radically different cars. You even
had six wheels at one point. So I enjoy that
see the car and go that is a Williams and that is a McLaren. But now in the digital age
and with the prescription of the rules, they'll look pretty similar.
But of course the different race cars.
That makes sense. I'm thinking of the physical strength required
to drive those cars when you're racing in like in Monterey for instance, that's a laguna seka. What is the
key to that track? Specifically?
I love that track. I've got more laps around that
track than any I think the physicality of the old cars and the fragility of the cars, the gearboxes, the brakes.
You know, now you hop in a car and you know all the cars finish the races. You can't really
break the gearboxes, you can't miss shifts. You can't overrev
the engines. So that was what you know, is the
biggest thing you notice when you get in a older car.
And then of course safety, even though we're in twenty twenty six, you do need to reset your brain that you know you're in a car that was quite dangerous back in the day. So even though you're in twenty
twenty six, you need to re wind and go, Nope, I'm in a nineteen eighty six car and the protection is not what it was today.
Can you blog that car? All out those eighties race cars?
Can you push them? Or are you a little bit? No?
You back off a little bit because I'm actually less concerned about my safety. I'm more concerned about replacing the
race car. Yeah yeah, but I actually so.
As for me as someone who looks to buy a classic car, like, that's the trade off I always think about.
On the one hand, I want a car that doesn't have electronics in it because I want to be able to work on it and fix it myself and I can't, you know, do all the software stuff. On the other hand,
I want it to be able to survive, like getting hit sideways in an intersection, Like I don't want to get t boned and die, So there is kind of that sweet spot. I mean, that's part of why I
think people like the nineties Radwood era cars right now because you can get like kind of the maximum naturally aspirated power and and a good amount of safety. For well,
it's election, it's.
Weird, and it just means I'm getting really old now.
Historic cars are hitting the era of the reliability and the safety. So you know, I'm in two weeks time
going to be racing a McLaren GT three and a Ferrari.
I'm not sure I'm allowed to say that GTE car that ran at Lamar in twenty twelve and the McLaren raced in twenty thirteen. I'm shocked that's a historic car
because it feels new to me. But you know those
are all carbon fiber, electronics, paddleshift gearboxes. So I think
modern day historic racing now are going to hit an era where you can really push these cars.
So twenty twelve is an historic car.
It's crazy. It doesn't feel historic to me because I
was racing them not too long ago. But reality as
they are now, where is that race that's gonna be a brands Hatch which will be a lot of fun, which I'm going to be doing with my my son, first time I've ever raced with them. That's very cool.
It'll be a lot of fun.
You know, it's a famous racetrack when it has a color name after it. I saw yesterday a BMWM eight
and brands Hatch gray.
Yeah, it's an iconic, iconic circuit used to host the British Grand Prix in amongst other major races.
You are allowed to talk about other brands that you drive or like. Besides, we obviously know you're dedicated to
McLaren and a car guy. Yeah so, but in terms
of the McLaren cars, there are a lot of pretty good deals out there if you're willing to go for a ten year old vehicle. What do you think of
the product that they have? I mean, obviously they're at
the cutting edge, the bleeding edge of technology right now, and everybody raves about their new products. What do you
think about the older McLaren's.
What do you like? I love the p Ones an
amazing car. I think tremendously undervalued when you look at it.
It's Peers, the Enzo's, the nine to eighteens that came out about the same time. That was our first real supercar,
of course, other than the McLaren F one from the mid nineties. That car is amazing. I've seen our new
product lineup that's not been rolled out yet, but I'm very excited for the for the future. But P one,
to me is a mega supercar.
And where do you where do you spend the most of I mean, obviously you're at race after race and event all the time, but where do you spend the most of your down time, Like where you keep your cars.
I've got a car storage unit because I've got more cars than a garage space, so rotate them through. I
don't get to drive them much. I usually just drive
them to the factory because unless you get out in the country roads, you don't want to be cruising around London and many things because you won't get out of second gear.
But you do get to drive the newest, the latest and greatest. Oh there and even before they come out.
Yeah, one hundred percent, and they're they're fantastic. Waits to
see it's coming there. We're doing some pretty cool stuff.
Hannah will be there, I'm sure at the launch.
I fully plan and Nintendo and that like again, maybe this is a year you come to Monterey because gotta go to mon totally. And I'm also thinking speaking about
these race cars. Last year at Monterey, you guys did
something I've wudn't have even thought of, which was you pre sold McLaren race cars.
Yeah, something new for.
Us and the Crown. Yeah, how how did that go?
Would you ever do it again? Yeah?
I think we would on a very limited basis, but it's the ultimate experience. You know, we've got fans of
all shapes and sizes, if you'd like u in all various degrees. If we want to make sure that all
the little boys and girls have everything from a lunch box that they can take to school, that will eventually, you know, maybe be a McLaren byer or certainly a McLaren fan all the way up to you know, people that are well off and can you know, spend millions of dollars on on race cars. So we want to
appeal to all of our McLaren fans, today's fans and tomorrow's fans.
I have the I have the pin that you have on your jacket because my first f one race I ever went to was in Hawkenheim with David Kutard. Oh yeah,
and I got the pin there is Monterey. We Hannah
and I were talking about lamon last here as kind of the Davos of car people. I've never been to
Pebble Beach, I know. We interviewed Jim Farley from there
last year. Great and he's he's always there. So is
that one of your favorite events?
Also?
Yeah?
Yeah, it's a must at ten because it's you know, the ultimate car people. You know, total petrol heads. You
see every type of race car there. You've got unbelievable events.
Laguna Sayka is amazing, You've got Pebble Beach, You've got golf.
We'll bring our new McLaren golf clubs. And so to me,
it's just like the ultimate week of people, cars, food, wine, restaurant, seventeen mile drive. I mean, it's all there, and.
I should say it's something for everybody too. I Mean
everyone thinks it's like all this really expensive stuff, and some of it is. But what I also love about
it is you can just stand by the side of the road.
Oh yeah, yeah, No, you can participate and take it in and kind of just enjoy it for what it is.
The scenery golf, and you know, the cars, whether you're buying cars, driving cars, looking at cars, it's just an unbelievable environment and great weather and just you know, beautiful area.
Well, Zach, thank you so much for joining us. We
really appreciate your time today.
Thank you, Van.
You obviously are a very busy man, so we're gonna let you go. H but really, really really great to
spend some time with you.
Thanks so much. Thank you.
That was the CEO of McLaren Racing, Zach Brown. And
what an awesome dude to talk to just about like racing and cars and life. I mean, he's a genuinely
cool guy.
Yeah, I And I think it's also very it's pretty rare, as you and I have spoken about before that some of these guys are actually out there racing too, in addition to running all the racing there. And I know
he loves this Iraq series that he does and like sounds like he's going to be racing a Ferrari pretty soon.
I mean that also is a lot.
It is quite rare.
Actually, you know, you wrote a story I think about Jim Farley, the CEO. Ford also like has a clause
in his contract that he's allowed to race and his wife lets him, but most CEOs are not allowed to because there's too much risk.
Yeah, I know, I don't. I mean, it's very cool
that he got around that. I wonder if Total Wolf
ever wants to get out in a race.
He did right, he raised it before he started his career in management.
I wonder if he ever sort of wishes.
Did we ask Susie about that. I wonder if she
still gets in the race car.
I don't know, it'd be really interesting to talk to them about that, you know, like I don't think race I don't know, but is race racing something you kind of just jump into and jump out to out of no, like once.
You turn it.
You know, there's certain CEOs. So I know Oliver SIPs
from BMW. He does spend a lot of time on
the track for fun. I'm not sure or if they're
in competitive races. Herbert Deese, who used to run Folkswagen
races motorcycles on the track because he used to run motorcycles and brought out the S one thousand double r at BMW. Mary Bara, she is really into race cars.
I don't know if she spends a lot of track time.
Antonio Felosa from Stilantis. I doubt he has much time
to race on the track. He sort of grew up
under Sergio Marchioni and was probably work, work, work all the time. So yeah, it's pretty rare.
Yeah, it's very rare. And here's something else that's really interesting.
Do you judge automotive executives whether or not they're quote unquote car people.
No, I don't.
Yeah, I don't either, But there's still something within the car world where, you know, people kind of want to know, is this automotive executive a car, like, you know, a real carp whatever that actually even means. And the reason
why I'm bringing this up is because I was talking to one of another of our favorites, Kevin Tynan, who used to work at Bloomberg. He used to work for
Bloomberg Intelligence, and he made this great point to me that he was like, the purpose of car companies isn't to sell cars. The purpose of car companies is to
make money. And sometimes the problem is they think their
purpose is to sell cars for the love of cars.
And we had this whole discussion about how actually it's an advantage sometimes if you have people who aren't car people leading the company because they understand the business right and they don't. This is a bit of a tangent,
but you see what I mean. I think it's a
very interesting to think about that because there is something still in my head that I do want to know, Oh, does that to so and so race to so and so own a million cool cars? Which is all very interesting,
But I don't think they have to to be successful running a car company.
Well, I mean I was thinking that. You meant, like,
do I still have respect for, for example, Stephen Winkleman, right, who runs Lamborghini. I love their products, you know there,
I know some of my favorite vehicles in the world.
But he's not really an obsessive car guy. Like he
doesn't spend his weekends wrenching in the garage. And I
still have incredible, an incredible amount of respect for him, not only.
As a CEO.
Yes, as a CEO, he's been incredibly successful. He's also
run Bugatti, he's also run out rs, He's he's done well for his board, for his shareholders, he's got great returns, and his products are amazing, right at all of those companies.
And I also have a lot of respect for him as a human being. And then there are people like
Jim Farley, who is a car guy through and through right he still is a great CEO. It doesn't mean
he isn't good at business, but I know that he makes something like a Raptor for me, you know, or or the Mustang, like he's not going to give up on making a V eight with with a stick shift because he wants to offer that to the American people.
And by the way, there are like at General Motors, for example, I have faith that Mark Royce is going to keep delivering the things that car guys want, while Mary Bara is going to make sure that the company runs smoothly, the employees have a well paying job. You know,
she does her best for Michigan in America, like different people serve different roles. So yeah, I think I don't
judge a car car maker CEO entirely on his garage.
I think I think you can use your strengths in either way. It's it's and it's actually interesting to see
the people who are and who are not and how they how they move, how they work. I think that's
one of the reasons why we love having them on the podcast, because it's interesting to get inside their head and see what see what assets their bridging to make the company do well.
This is a really good podcast. We have a good podcast,
you know that.
I like it. I have fun. I think it's very interesting.
Speaking of having fun, what are you up to this weekend?
Oh well, I'm going to endy.
Oh yeah, that's right. God, You're so lucky. How did
you How did that happen?
Did you just decide, like, what are we doing, Magnus, let's go to watch one of the most important races in the world.
I'm going as a plus one. Magnus got invited, So
I'm going as a plus one, which is awesome.
That is so cool.
I know it's it feels kind of like, weirdly a vacation, even though it's still car related. I'm just going as
his guest, which is awesome. He got the invite.
I I can't believe I've never been as a as a as an Ohioan, you know, as a boy from Columbus.
I feel like I should already have been sometime in the last fifty years. I should already have rented an
RV with friends or family and you know, gone with two or three suitcases of bud Budweiser beer and cans, but I've never I can't wait to watch the race this weekend.
I admit I know really nothing about IndyCar. You know
Alexander Rossi, of course is we're friendly. I've known him
for years. Great person, great driver, great champion, great indie champion.
So you know, I'm friends with alex But I don't know very much about Indie racing, so I'm really looking forward to learning and seeing what it's all about.
Dario used to race IndyCar.
Good point, good point.
Yeah, I love Dart.
Yeah all right, well that's awesome. I I was supposed
to go to the beach with my kids for a long weekend. It is a long weekend, right yeah, moriial day,
right yeah, But my buddies at BMW are dropping off an M two CS at my house today, and I kind of want to just ask my wife if I can have a pass and just spend the weekend driving it, because have you seen the M two CS. It's got
this little ductail that's additional that the base M two doesn't have, and it looks freaking awesome. Like I am
not one of the people who hated the redesign. I
really liked the redesign of the M two And although you can't get a manual transmission with the CS, I'm really I mean it's a little rocket ship. I can't
wait to get into it. And by the way, I'm
looking at M two's online, looking at you know, with a stick you can get two or three year old M two with a stick and like ten or fifteen thousand miles still for like sixty grand.
It's so cheap.
And I mean relative to for example, a nine to eleven, like same year, same horsepower, same you know, manual transmission set up with a nine to eleven is going to cost you at least double, if not triple, what you're paying for the M two. And other than the placement
of the engine, they kind of achieve the same purpose.
Yeah, I'm I can't wait. I can't wait to hear
up all about it. I haven't I haven't been in
a BMW in months. Well, maybe I should knock on
their core.
Yeah, I'll tell I'll tell them when I when I drop off the car after the after I put the requisite five hundred miles on it. All right, Well, good,
have a great weekend, uh, and to all our listeners.
Do write in. Our email is Hot Pursuit at Bloomberg
dot net. We value we cherish your emails, read and
respond to them. We bring them up on air.
So, speaking of email, I have to thank Sean for emailing he wanted to let us know that. Speaking of
Corvette corvettes, Michael Jordan's z R one is now at the National Corvette Museum. So anybody who's around there interested
in corvettes, it's a nineteen ninety three Corvette ZR one owned by Michael Jordan, now at the National Corvette Museum.
I gotta get down there at some point.
Bloby read fortieth anniversary.
Oh yeah, good note, good note. Visit the museum if
you're down in what is it? Bowling Green, Kentucky. That
does it for this week's show. Remember to follow and
subscribe to Hot Pursuit on Apple, Spotify, and anywhere else you listen. You can also send us your comments Email
us at Hot Pursuit at Bloomberg dot.
Next, and you can check out my columns and stories on Bloomberg dot com and the Bloomberg Business app. Go
there for car reviews, events and stories that you won't find anywhere else. Follow it all at Bloomberg dot Com.
Slash Pursuits, slash Autos, I'm Hannah.
Elliott and I'm Matt Miller will be back in your podcast feed again next week
About this episode
Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO, weighs in on Formula 1’s disruptive new rules and hybrid-era tech—arguing the racing has stayed close and will “smooth out” as teams adapt. The conversation also bounces through Corvette electrification, where the E-Ray’s hybrid layout brings AWD traction and instant front-motor torque, plus practical downsides like challenging visibility. They discuss Indy 500 intimidation for F1 drivers, historic racing plans at Monterey, and even weekend car time with a BMW M2 CS.
Hannah and Matt welcome Zak to talk about his quest to win the Indy 500, Le Mans, and the Monaco Grand Prix, and why F1 drivers want to race at Le Mans but not Indy. Plus, the Corvette ZR1X versus the Corvette eRay, and Hannah's going to Indianapolis.
