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SHANGHAI, CHINA – APRIL 15: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren drives during the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on April 15, 2012 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
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SHANGHAI, CHINA – APRIL 15: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren drives during the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on April 15, 2012 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
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SHANGHAI, CHINA – APRIL 15: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren drives during the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on April 15, 2012 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
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SHANGHAI, CHINA – APRIL 15: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren drives during the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on April 15, 2012 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
The alliance of McLaren with Mercedes, one of the most dominant F1 teams of the 2000s, is all set to merge again for the upcoming season.
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Unsurprisingly, the expectations are already over the roof, albeit both the parties have so far played it low-key regarding their upcoming highly anticipated season.
However, their future growth in the sport is something the top-field teams might have to watch out for. And even McLaren’s boss, Zak Brown, acknowledged the statement.
Brown’s view on the Mercedes engine
According to Motorsport, Brown opened up that the British team are all set to support their engine suppliers, Mercedes AMG, in the future.
“We have a lot of friends and families in the Brixworth [Mercedes power unit department] section. I think they’re just as excited,” he said.
“So we are so excited that we can win races together. And hopefully, we can push them. Whoever in the front will probably be the Mercedes Grand Prix team.”
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BARCELONA, SPAIN Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren F1 Team MCL35 Renault in the Pitlane during Day One of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
McLaren will be re-uniting with Mercedes after a while, and thus, expecting the team to reach glory from the word go would be unfair.
Moreover, their rivals, Aston Martin (previously Racing Point), have also gone through massive reconstruction within the team. The same goes with Alpine (previously Renault) as well.
Thus, the Papaya team will be aware of the fact that the 2021 season is not going to be an easy ride for them despite being powered by the dominant Mercedes engine.
Daimler CEO a big fan of McLaren: Brown
The McLaren boss opined that both McLaren and Mercedes are entering the 2021 F1 season amid massive positivity amongst the two brands. Furthermore, he also opened up that Daimler’s CEO is a huge fan of the brand.
“We are very excited. We have a great history with Mercedes,” he said. “Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler, is a big McLaren fan and has been with McLaren in the past.”
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JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, SPAIN – JANUARY 16: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren Mercedes in action during a test at the Circuito de Jerez on January 16, 2008, in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Things are consolidating quite well for McLaren, considering where they stood in 2018. It has been a rather steep growth for the British team.
However, the Mercedes engine isn’t the only aspect that is fueling their expectations for the 2021 season.
The fact that they now possess their most favorite driver, Daniel Ricciardo, is going to play a huge role in the team’s further growth in F1.
Overall, McLaren have gotten what they’ve been longing for; a great Mercedes engine at the back and excellent pilots to handle the Mercedes-powered beasts.
So, will this be enough for McLaren to aim for the championship titles in the future? Well, let’s wait and watch.
Read More: Zak Brown Believes McLaren Has the ‘Momentum’ to Replicate Red Bull and Mercedes’ F1 Success