McLaren boss Zak Brown savagely trolls Red Bull with pitlane stunt during Miami GP

McLaren CEO Zak Brown found a unique way to troll arch-rival Red Bull. At the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, Brown used a bottle with the label 'tire water' in response to the Bulls' accusation made last year of McLaren injecting water into its tires to battle heat.

The 2024 F1 season pitted McLaren and Red Bull head-to-head, especially in the second half, as the Papayas closed the gap with aggressive upgrades. However, the on-track battle escalated further when the teams leveled accusations at each other off the track.

During the 2024 Brazil Grand Prix, Red Bull accused McLaren of illegally injecting water into its tires to prevent excessive heating. A reduction in tire temperature directly helped in better grip, durability, and performance gain. While the FIA conducted an investigation, it later closed the case due to lack of evidence.

However, it appears McLaren CEO Zak Brown hasn't forgotten the incident. During the FP1 session of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, the CEO turned up with a special water bottle with the label 'tire water' wrapped across. Fans were quick to connect the dots and linked it to the last year's incident.

Brown's savage dig was seen as funny by many F1 fans in the comments section, while some Red Bull supporters were displeased.

Regardless, the tables have turned in 2025. McLaren has emerged as the fastest team on the grid, whereas Red Bull is lagging behind. After two races, Red Bull replaced Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda. Max Verstappen registered the team's only win of the season so far in Japan.

The Papaya team is leading the constructors' championship with 188 points in five races, whereas the energy drink-based team has slipped to P3 with 89 points. The gap is significant, meaning the Bulls need a quick recovery to stay in contention.

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Zak Brown justifies Max Verstappen's penalty in Jeddah

Oscar Piastri with Zak Brown at F1 Grand Prix Of Australia - Practice - Source: Getty

Red Bull and McLaren once again went head-to-head at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen went off the track to overtake Oscar Piastri at turn 1, triggering a five-second time penalty as the FIA deemed the move as 'gaining unfair advantage'.

However, Verstappen and Red Bull were furious and disagreed with the FIA's ruling. On the flip side, McLaren team CEO Zak Brown felt that the penalty was justified. Talking to media in Jeddah last month, he said:

“Oscar’s a tough guy, and if he had a chance to go for the lead—frankly, it wasn’t any sort of divebomb; he clearly had the lead. He was up alongside; he got a better start. I think the penalty was appropriate—whether we should have just swapped [positions] versus the time [being given], that’s up to the stewards to decide what they feel is appropriate. It was a clean start; he controlled the race once he got in the lead, but Max kept us honest.”

Zak Brown further added that he wasn't surprised with Red Bull's pace, as he feels rivals are expected to catch up to McLaren sooner or later.