McLaren surprised by one engine manufacturer in early 2026 testing

Speaking at a media briefing that included GPblog, the 54-year-old singled out the Red Bull Ford engine for praise, describing how quick and reliable the engine proved.

“I would say the Red Bull engine, the Ford engine, seem very, very strong, so hats off to them. Not only did it seem to be very quick, but also very reliable, and I would say the reliability in general seemed to be very strong for very sophisticated, new, kind of immature regulations that will develop over time,” Brown said.

The McLaren boss continued by highlighting how impressed he was with the mileage several teams were able to rack up, before again lauding the Red Bull engine.

“I think the amount of running everyone got in was impressive. So I think those are the things that stood out: the Ford engine and the general reliability on what are very sophisticated new rules,” he concluded.

The McLaren chief isn’t the only one surprised by the reliability of the Red Bull Ford engine, with Mercedes driver George Russell also echoing his thoughts in his recent media interaction.

Brown would, however, opt to temper expectations when asked about the possibility of his team winning the championship as it did through the 2025 campaign.

“I think it's very early days, I think very risky to judge,” Brown said.

The McLaren chief, however, expressed confidence that indications regarding expectations will become clearer in the coming weeks.

“What I would say is we feel like we'll be competitive. The top 4 teams all seemed very competitive, so very early days, but there are indications that we will be strong. I think it would be premature to make any predictions beyond an initial few days of testing. Obviously, things will start to become a little bit clearer over the next two weeks,” he added.

Brown also detailed what he considered the differences between both McLaren drivers—Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The American motorsports chief praised the consistency of both drivers and the feats they achieved, respectively.

Brown also noted how Norris celebrated his drivers’ championship triumph before admitting he expects both drivers to pick up where they left off.

“So, I think they're going to pick up where they left off, excited, as determined as ever, so I’m excited," he concluded.