Formula 1 News: Zak Brown earns more than his drivers

(GMM) McLaren CEO Zak Brown (pictured with his F1 drivers) has emerged as one of world sport’s highest-paid executives, with a payday even bigger than his own Formula 1 drivers.

According to accounts filed at Companies House, Zak Brown collected just over $50 million last year after leading McLaren to its first constructors’ title since 1998.

Bloomberg said the remuneration for the team’s highest-paid director “jumped from ($35 million) the year before”, confirming via a McLaren spokesperson that Brown was the recipient.

That total eclipses the reported salaries of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, even as the pair spearheaded McLaren’s return to the top of F1 and are now leading the drivers’ world championship in 2025.

Key management pay at McLaren more than doubled to $102m, largely through share-based awards, while profits surged to $50m on revenues of $714m. The team’s overall valuation now stands at more than $4.6 billion, with Bahrain’s Mumtalakat and Abu Dhabi’s CYVN Holdings set to take control.

Brown, 53, has been in charge since 2018, also steering McLaren’s IndyCar subsidiary. Bloomberg described him as now “one of the sports industry’s best-paid bosses”.