Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, didn’t always dream of a career in Formula One; his first love was baseball. Born in Los Angeles, Brown’s started racing after winning a game show and gaining invaluable advice from legendary racer Mario Andretti. As he told The Athletic, he viewed his eventual success as the product of hard work, luck, and determination.
Brown’s first step towards a career in motorsport occurred on the American game show “Wheel of Fortune”. Contesting in a special teen week, Brown emerged as a winner, earning him several expensive watches which he held onto for years. Having attended his first F1 race in 1981, he had begun to nurture a passion for racing, but at the time, it seemed like an unreachable dream.
In 1984, Brown was selected as a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune”. After successfully navigating through a series of interviews and tests, he was one of the 15 teenagers selected to compete for a week of televised shows. He won two rounds and opted for watches as his prize. These watches remained unused for some time, gaining value. At the time, he still had his heart set on becoming a baseball player.
Brown’s real entry into racing occurred after he attended a race in 1987 and met Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion. Following Andretti’s advice, he sold his watches and used the money to attend a kart racing school. This was the start of his racing career, which saw him compete in California for five years before moving to Europe in 1991.
While racing, Brown also built a successful marketing career. He started Just Marketing Inc in 1991, leveraging his network and reputation to secure sponsorship deals for other drivers. Despite his success in racing and business, Brown’s priority remained motorsports. His marketing agency became one of the largest in the world, and in 2008, he sold a part of it to focus on his passion for racing.
In the following years, Brown emerged as a prominent figure in Formula One. He chose to take up the role of CEO at McLaren in 2017, transforming the team and leading it to its first constructor’s standings win in several years in 2021. Looking back, Brown’s success can be traced back to his determination, passion, and a lucky win on a television game show. His story serves as a testament to the idea that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve greatness with the right amount of hard work and passion.
