McLaren trails Red Bull by only 42 points in the constructors’ championship as the season enters its final ten races.
“If I were to sit here and say I’m not surprised, that would be disingenuous,” Brown told Sport in an exclusive interview.
“Red Bull had a huge lead over everyone, and Mercedes has been so dominant.
“I believed we’d continue to cut the deficit. Did I believe we’d be here over the summer break, one race away from taking the lead?
That race would have to be first, second, and fastest lap, and do I believe it will happen that way? No. However, if we continue on the same path as we have for the last six or seven races, we will be where we need to be by the end of the year.
“I expected we’d be where we are today by 2025. I did not expect to be where we are now in 2024. But I am not complaining.”
McLaren trailed Red Bull by 115 points after the season’s sixth race, the Miami Grand Prix, in which Lando Norris won for the first time.
Since then, at least one McLaren driver has finished on the podium in all eight races, including Norris’.
