When McLaren CEO Zak Brown first joined the Formula 1 team back in 2016, he admitted some surprise about what he found - and not in a good way. From the excitement about joining his favourite squad, the reality check of the 'chaos' he walked into was not an easy one to deal with. As he sits down exclusively with Autosport to reflect on his journey from that low point to get to where McLaren has become constructors’ champion, he admitted that the first impression was "a lot worse than I thought it was.” At the time, the struggles McLaren was facing with Honda were pretty clear to see – but the mistake that many made was thinking that its engine was its only deficit. For Brown, problems were everywhere. “I think we now know that wasn't even probably the biggest part of the issue,” added Brown, who saw problems with management, structure and sponsorship. “You had a revolving door in leadership and chaos at the board level, which has been well documented. “You had no adult supervision on the racing team and people. You've got leaders, but people need good leadership. “On-track sponsorship was at a record low and everything on the factory floor was a conspiracy theory. There was a lot of negativity. “We were way behind on development. I think there was almost an arrogance of ‘we are so good’ that we took our eye off of wind tunnels and CFDs. “So that's kind of what I walked into.” Making change Having spent the first part of his career as a sponsorship guru, Brown knew how to run a big business, but his switch to McLaren was the first time he had stepped into a management role with a racing team of such a scale. And being what he would even admit was a little bit wet behind the ears on that front meant he had to bat away any lack of self-confidence when it came to proving to the staff that he was in this for the long haul. “I'd been around racing," he said, "but actually standing up and talking to a racing team, when they're all staring at you, you could feel the: How long is this guy going to be around? “Everyone else had been around a year or two, and you could kind of feel that. So you had to portray confidence.” Brown says that the priority from day one was sorting out the senior figures, because if that was not right then everything else was doomed. “The first thing I did was change the leadership team, kind of one by one,” he said. “I didn't come in with that in mind, but I quickly identified this place needs new leadership. “Some people I hired I had worked with at JMI [the sponsorship agency founded by Brown]. Some people were brand new. And only one was an internal promotion, which was Laura [Bowden], now our CFO, because to have a great racing team, everything needs to fire on all cylinders, right? “If you're going to have great commercial success, it's got to have a huge fan base. You have got to have a great comms team to engage with the fans. You’ve got to sell sponsors to be able to hire the best people, to do a new wind tunnel. “It's not just have a great aerodynamic department. You've got to have that. But then there's everything that feeds into that.” While changes were taking place behind the scenes to give the Woking factory the management structure it needed, revolution was coming on track too. The Renault wake-up call At the end of 2017, Brown moved to end the Honda partnership and switch the squad to customer Renault engines for the 2018 season, in a change that actually proved to be an awakening moment for a team that had led itself to believe its chassis was as good as anybody else’s out there. Brown added: “That was a great wake up call, because I think everyone thought we were just bolting a new engine in and here we are. But it was actually, ‘we’ve changed that, it’s a little better, but we’ve still got some big issues’ So I think that was healthy.” What followed then were those challenging Covid 2020/2021 campaigns where off track Brown battled to shore up the finances that had left it risking collapse without the support of its shareholders. “We were definitely on the brink," said Brown. "We were paying all our bills, but we were months away, and not several months, from [shutting]. We knew we could make it through the year, but we were in a situation that if we didn't have a cash injection, we would have been at risk.” On track there was the unprecedented situation caused by the unique 2020/2021 campaigns of frozen car development where Brown felt the new team of Andreas Seidl and James Key had the good fortune to inherit a competitive package, and duly get the credit for the previous regime’s efforts. “Everyone kind of thought with the new people that had come in, Seidl, James Key ‘like, wow, look at what they've done in ‘21’ and it was actually the team before," said Brown. "So really the first time their collective work was seen was ’22.” A difficult start to that year, allied to problems Daniel Ricciardo faced, triggered concern for Brown. But the eureka moment for him that things were not where they needed to be came at that year’s French Grand Prix when a much hyped upgrade package failed to deliver. Brown said: “It didn't work, and the response from the leadership, that was not what I expected. I thought we're in trouble now. So I had some pretty serious conversations.” Over the summer break, Brown dealt with the Ricciardo issue as the team and driver reached a deal to end their partnership at the end of the year. Brown also decided, after Seidl had come to him saying he had signed a contract to join Audi, to agree to an early exit so he could make the internal change he wanted: putting current team boss Andrea Stella in charge. “I could have gone [to Seidl], ‘no, hang out your contract’," said Brown. "But it was like, no, actually, congratulations, you can join tomorrow. “I'd actually wanted Andrea Stella to run the team before I made that decision, but he had originally turned it down [over the 2019/2020 winter]. He felt he wasn't ready, and that's the type of guy Andrea is. He’s not ego-driven.” Brown recalls his second more successful attempt to convince Stella to join once it became clear that Seidl would be moving on. “I went: ‘Andrea, I really need you'," added Brown. "He tells a funny story. I was calling, he was having an espresso, and he was like, I need another espresso! “He didn’t accept it on the first call. He was like, ‘let me think about this, it is a big ask.’ But ultimately, I got him over the line.” The Stella impact Brown tasked Stella with doing a root and branches review of the racing team to help shape it in a way that he felt would work best. And, while the Italian had not been willing to shake the tree in his previous capacity as an engineer, now he was in a different role. “I asked him to look at everything," said Brown. "He'd obviously been paying attention, and he's a guy who stays in his lane of authority. But now I was like: ‘I want you to have total authority.’ “We knew the start of '23 was going to be a mess. We made some changes. James Key and Tony Salter, left, and it empowered people like Pete Prodromou, who had been a bit sidelined. “We just put the right guys back in charge, because we didn't really make many new hires. We just restructured it. We then told the media: ‘We're going to have a terrible start to ’23.' And we were spot on! “Then there was the hard part. We were getting blasted by everyone, but our partners were hanging in there, because we'd been on a nice journey, and the shareholders were totally hanging in there. “They all wanted to know, what are you doing? You need to fix this! But I never felt that they weren't going to give me the opportunity.” That beginning of 2023 offered a disconnect between the results the team was delivering on track and the rapid rate of progress with upgrades that were taking place at the factory. Brown said: “We started to see a rate development. Then we had this weird dynamic of getting killed on the race track and publicly slaughtered, with a quiet confidence back at the factory. “I think what was good was we knew we were going to be bad in ‘23 and we called our shot. So it wasn't like we were scratching our head. We knew we weren't going to be good. “At this point, we had got plenty of sponsorship and there was a lot of belief in Andrea's leadership, and that leadership team were firing on all cylinders, right? Across finance, HR, comms, commercial. We were very united, and it made us stronger.” The final steps Confirmation of the upwards trajectory came at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, when a planned big upgrade did the job. “Andrea kind of called his shot at Austria, which was out of character for him,” added Brown. “He was like, ‘oh, that's going to be a big one.’ “We rolled it out on Lando's car. It was strong, but then afterwards we knew Lando was always good there, so was it him or was it the car? But then at Silverstone it was 'wow'.” From that moment on, McLaren has built on its form. Developments have worked and the progress has been steady so that when that Miami upgrade arrived in May this year, it catapulted the squad to the front. Brown thinks McLaren is now back to the kind of team that he originally fell in love in. “I think we're on our A-game now,” he said. “We've got the best sponsor portfolio on the grid. I think we have record revenues. We are profitable, which is a sign of the success we've had on track. “But we go racing for trophies, not for economics. I think we're back to the McLaren I knew, which was, 'oh did you see what McLaren did on track or off track.' And I put it all down to people at the end of the day. “We've all got great wind tunnels. We've all got great CFD. But it's the people that make the difference.” And the key focus for Brown now, as his squad celebrates that first F1 constructors’ title since 1998, is ensuring it doesn’t drop the ball now. “If you look at some of the other teams out there, that have got great technology, great drivers, and kind of slid backwards, I think it's because the culture's not where it needs to be,” he said. “My primary goal now is to bottle up what we have right now, add to it where I can, but not let anyone eat, as Andrea calls them, the poison biscuits – which is the politics internally, or the politics that people try and lob in. “It's easy to happen when we have a bad weekend or a weekend we could have done better, but the way Andrea is able to pick the team up and go 'don't go there' it is amazing. It's don't start blaming each other. We're a team. It's just kept us really solid.” In this article Jonathan Noble Formula 1 Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics Subscribe to news alerts

Today, Alex Yang stands tall as a beacon of inspiration for all who have faced hardships and challenges in their lives. His unwavering determination to find his family and reclaim his identity serves as a reminder that no obstacle is insurmountable, and that the light of hope will always shine through the darkest of nights. His journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a powerful reminder that, in the end, love and family are the ties that bind us all.The attention surrounding this incident highlights the importance of finding a skilled and trustworthy hairstylist. In an industry where appearances are everything, having a hairstylist who can deliver impeccable results is crucial for celebrities and public figures.

Moreover, Hisense's denial of the layoff rumors is supported by the company's recent financial performance. Despite facing challenges in the global market, Hisense has continued to deliver solid results and invest in new technologies and product development. The company's ongoing efforts to drive growth and adapt to market changes demonstrate its resilience and long-term vision.

CELH Stockholders with Large Losses Should Contact Shareholder Rights Law Firm Robbins LLP for Information About the Celsius Holdings, Inc. Class ActionSyracuse pulls away from pesky Bucknell to snap losing streak

The daughter of former Rep. Carolyn Maloney is riding her mother’s coattails in a “shameless” bid to reclaim the 78-year-old Democrat’s old City Council seat, insiders told The Post. Virginia Maloney, a product manager at Meta, has flaunted her political pedigree in campaign material to potential voters since announcing her bid last month to replace term-limited Democratic Councilman Keith Powers, whose district comprises much of the Upper East Side and Midtown. On her campaign website, the 37-year-old UES native lays out her concerns about the need for more affordable housing, combating extremism and improving healthcare access — but also leans into family lore of her mother going into labor with her while debating legislation on the City Council floor. “My mother — a teacher, City Councilwoman and Member of Congress — taught me to believe in myself as a woman and that when I do, I can get great things done,” the website reads . A new 30-second introductory campaign ad , which briefly touched on Virginia Maloney’s work for the city Economic Development Corp. and later the private tech sector, was similarly ham-fisted in touting the candidate’s lineage, lingering on a clear, striking portrait of her mother as she reminded people that she’s “the daughter of two public servants.” Her late father, Clifton Maloney , was a former US Navy vet and investment banker. The elder Maloney, who regularly appears in Instagram posts on Virginia Maloney’s campaign account, also is being trotted out as a host for her daughter’s campaign fundraisers both in Washington DC and the Big Apple . “Most candidates I’ve worked with who have that sort of dynasty are never this shameless,” one veteran Democratic strategist told The Post. “There is a time and a place to evoke your mom, but from Day One, in such an aggressive way, strikes me as obscenely lazy.” As of the latest campaign filings in October, Virginia Maloney had yet to document any contributions, according to campaign records. A second Democratic strategist, meanwhile, suggested Virginia Maloney’s bid for City Council is ultimately a “proxy” for her mother to eventually reclaim her old congressional seat after being trounced by fellow Manhattan Rep. Jerry Nadler in the bitter 2022 Democratic House primary. “Carolyn Maloney has been as visible at events, if not more, than the candidate,” the insider said. “Everyone knows she wants her seat back.” Carolyn Maloney, who had an estimated net worth of $13 million in 2018, previously held the City Council District 4 seat representing the Upper East Side from 1982 to 1992. Virginia attended the posh Spence School, where tuition is an eye-watering $65,846 a year. Carolyn Maloney went on to represent the nabe in Congress for another two decades , where she became a totemic figure in her district for her dogged advocacy to secure funding for the $4.4 billion 2nd Avenue subway line as well as billions to finance health programs for 9/11 first responders and the victim’s compensation fund. “Virginia is lucky to have learned a lot from her mother’s trailblazing career and she will use those lessons to serve her community and the City she loves so much,” said Shelby Garner, a campaign spokesman for Virginia Maloney and her mother’s former district chief of staff. While the Maloney name is a “great name that fits the district,” the family legacy will only take her so far in what is shaping up to be a sharply competitive race, warned Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. “At some point in the future she’s going to have to be her own person,” he said. “Being her mother’s daughter won’t be sufficient.” Carolyn Maloney did not respond to requests for comment.None

The impact of Yao Ming's career extends far beyond statistics and highlights. His legacy is defined by his integrity, humility, and dedication to the game, inspiring a new generation of basketball players and fans around the world. The recognition of Yao Ming's contributions through induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame would be a fitting tribute to his lasting impact on the sport and the community.

This season's hottest and most unique toys: How to spark ideas for your holiday shopping

Klopp's journey to Liverpool was not without its challenges, but his unwavering optimism and deep understanding of the game have propelled the club to new heights. His keen eye for talent, tactical acumen, and ability to inspire his players have transformed the Reds into a formidable force in European football.