Brown delighted to see McLaren emerge as unlikely winners in fan survey – “It’s flattering”

Zak Brown was delighted with McLaren topping the F1 Global Survey, saying that it is very flattering for him and his team.

F1 collaborated with Nielsen Sports and Motorsport to conduct a survey asking fans who their favourite drivers and teams were. More than 167,000 fans from 187 countries responded, and the results came out on Thursday.

McLaren was voted the most popular team on the grid, with 29.5% of fans backing the Woking outfit. This is a huge improvement from 2017, which saw only 15.8% of fans like the team.

McLaren’s drivers also fared very well, as Lando Norris came second and Daniel Ricciardo was voted fourth most popular.

Speaking in Friday’s FIA press conference, the McLaren Racing CEO expressed his happiness with the result. Brown was delighted with McLaren topping the F1 Global Survey, and said that it is an achievement for his team.

“To see our popularity climb as our results climb, I think our drivers have done an outstanding job and are a big contributor to being a very likeable team,” Brown said.

Lando Norris, McLaren, 2nd position, Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, and Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, 1st position, with the trophies
The McLaren team’s journey from stiff to relatable has been rewarded. Source: motorsport.com

“All the men and women that are working so hard at McLaren (sic). So it’s flattering.

“We try and put on a great show for the fans, and our partners, and it’s nice to see a very positive response from a big group of fans around the world. We try and be a fun racing team, an inclusive racing team.

Faces that run places

McLaren’s change in perception is down to the team picking popular drivers to race for them. They are not the superstars, but the ones fans relate to the most.

“[We have] drivers that are very open, communicate with our fans frequently and often, and speak with them, listen to them,” Brown continued.

“We’re just kind of doing our thing, and it’s nice to see them react so positively to it.

“I’m a huge fan of the sport, so I try and bring through the lens. It wasn’t long ago I was sitting in the grandstand, and try to understand what would get me excited about the sport.

“So we’re just trying to provide that experience back to the fans, and it seems to be working,” he concluded.

Read more: Zak Brown takes sly dig at Sergio Perez – “I don’t think there’s any rivalry there”

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