Racing
© Jonathan Borba
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been named the 2026 recipient of the Motorsport Industry Association’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry, a recognition that reflects both his standing in the wider business and McLaren’s climb back toward the front of Formula 1.
Brown received the honor from The Rt Hon the Lord Astor of Hever PC DL at the UK House of Lords on Tuesday, where around 200 motorsport business and political leaders attended the event. The MIA award recognizes exceptional personal contribution to motorsport and high-performance engineering and is regarded as one of the sector’s most prestigious honors.
The award lands at a point when Brown’s leadership of McLaren has become central to the team’s recovery story. Since taking over as CEO in 2018, he has been credited in the source material with helping rebuild a struggling organization through management reform, commercial growth and a push to restore the team’s competitiveness.
Brown, speaking after the award, said: "A huge thank you to the MIA for this honour - I will proudly take the award back to the McLaren Technology Centre to share it with the whole team."
He framed the recognition as a reflection of McLaren’s collective progress rather than an individual achievement. "Formula 1 is the ultimate team sport and success isn’t possible without a strong team culture and great teamwork," Brown said.
That message tied directly to McLaren’s recent resurgence. "We’ve been on an incredible quest back to the front of the Formula 1 grid, and I want to thank all the men and women at McLaren Racing who made it possible," he said. "I could not be prouder of what we have achieved together."
By receiving the award, Brown joins a list of previous recipients that includes Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Ross Brawn, placing McLaren’s turnaround alongside some of the most recognized leadership achievements in the sport.