Zak Brown on McLaren's Culture: “I Felt We Were Darth Vader”

The F1 Academy commitment is the most visible expression of a broader strategy. Brown walked through the evolution of McLaren's scholar program, which started as 60 Scholars — launched to mark the team's 60th birthday — taking 60 women between the ages of 18 and 23 through a development program. That initiative has since grown into a partnership with Cisco and Google, rebranded as Next, with a mandate that stretches beyond drivers into engineering, marketing, and business.

Brown said McLaren aims to have 40% of its workforce come from underrepresented groups by the end of the decade. Not long ago, he said, that figure sat at around 10%.

"Drivers, engineers, marketers — letting people know that everyone is welcome at McLaren,” Brown said. “Of course, the racing drivers are the most famous aspect of that, but we're open doors for everyone."

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The conversation at ABX Miami came against the backdrop of a team riding considerable momentum. Having secured both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships in 2025, McLaren arrived in Miami with much work to do to maintain its titles.

Ultimately, Brown’s Star Wars analogy serves as a manifesto for the modern era of the sport. He is effectively arguing that the "Dark Side" — the old-school, monolithic, and exclusionary way of running a team — has a ceiling. By trading the intimidation of Vader for the collaborative spirit of the Rebellion, McLaren has built a different type of community, both on and off the track.

Michelai Graham is a New York City-based freelance journalist, on-camera talent, and digital strategist. Most recently, she served as the Senior Editor of Entertainment at Boardroom. Her work has also appeared in Ebony Magazine, AfroTech, Lifewire, HubSpot, and more. Michelai covers tech, entertainment, and the business and culture of Formula 1.

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