In response to Volkswagen’s news that its Audi and Porsche brands would be entering Formula One, McLaren team boss Zak Brown stressed on Friday that the team is not for sale.
Audi was prepared to offer roughly 500 million euros ($527.55 million) for McLaren, according to a source told Reuters in March.
After months of negotiations, Manager Magazin in Germany claimed on Thursday that talks with McLaren were on the verge of collapse.
Brown, McLaren Racing’s chief executive, told reporters at the first Miami Grand Prix that a change of ownership was not in the cards.
‘Our shareholders are passionate about McLaren. We have discussions with Audi, but we are not for sale,’ the American stated.
‘In terms of business, we’re doing great. The team’s morale is really high. We have no intention of selling our racing squad.’
‘We will not entertain a McLaren buyout,’ he continued. ‘It’s up to (team principal) Andreas (Seidl) to choose the power unit he wants in the back of the race vehicle, but any talk of buying a McLaren is off the table.’
Brown stated that McLaren was in a great financial situation.
‘Our terms for any cooperation would be that we retain ownership of the racing team,’ he stated.
‘We’re McLaren Formula One, and we’re going to stay that way… That was our starting position, and the discussion didn’t go much further.’
McLaren presently uses Mercedes engines, however in 2026, Formula One will implement new engine restrictions.
In media conjecture, Red Bull has been linked to Porsche, while Aston Martin and Williams, both of whom utilise Mercedes engines, have expressed interest in partnering with Audi, which has also been in talks with Alfa Romeo team owners Sauber.
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